|
Travel
Sites |
Indian
Handicrafts and Gifts Fair
by Sanjay Kumar
New Delhi: Two thousand Indian exporters are exhibiting close to 800 items during a five-day 23rd Indian Handicrafts and Gifts Fair, which concludes on February 26 and is spread over 80,000 square metres of space. This year's fair will also see around 8000 foreign buyers. The IHGF is now recognized the world over as a "One Stop Sourcing Destination" for all overseas buyers and has proved to be an important platform to display the art of rural artisans and craftspersons and the rich cultural heritage of India.
The Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts has been successfully organizing Indian Handicrafts and Gifts fair bi-annually for the past 11 years. Providing details of the fair, Rakesh Kumar, Executive Director, EPCH, said the fair would provide an unlimited choice for sourcing the finest in houseware, decorative and gift items to departmental stores, specialty stores, mail order houses, catalogue houses, interior designers, retail stores, consultants, architects, distributors, agents and importers. The 23rd edition of the fair has also put on display refreshing new designs and ideas for overseas buyers. Kumar said the fair has some exclusive features like the Trend Forum, the Thematic Display of handicrafts from the southern region and exclusive pavilion of products of North Eastern Region, all of which reflected India's unique culture, heritage, craftsmanship, raw material base and practices. India has been one of the leading suppliers of handcrafted products, gifts, decoratives and houseware items to the world market. With the changes in the consumer taste and trends, the handcrafted products, gifts and houseware items exported from India have now become a part of the life-style products in the international market. Indian products are unique as Indian designs are ethnic and oriental in nature and the colours and patterns depict Indian heritage and culture.
Elaborating
on the present day scenario in the handicraft export sector, Kumar added
that the handicraft exports from India stand at over 3300 million dollars
today. Handicrafts industry today employs more than six million skilled
and semi-skilled craftspersons spread all over the country, predominantly
in rural and semi-rural areas. It has acquired considerable importance
in social and economic life of the country primarily due to the fact that
any increase in exports generates additional employment in the backward
and economically weaker sections of the society where most of the handicrafts
are produced.
-Feb 23, 2007
Tourist
offices
in India
Helpline
|
Window
on India |
|
News
Links |