|
|
|
| Sunday, 29 January 2006 |
 |
|
 |
Business |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Exchanging experience can boost handicraft industry by Gamini Warushamana Exchanging experience with each other is important to develop the handicraft industry in Sri Lanka and India, said S.P.Marwah at the Indian Handicraft exhibition at the BMICH. Marwah is the Assistant Manager of Central Cottage Industries Corporation of India Limited, at the Ministry of Textile, India. The exhibition which began on Wednesday concludes today. Marwah said "We saw the batik works of Sri Lankan artists and they are more beautiful, light and colourful than ours. Similarly, our crafts are better and expensive. The Sri Lankan crafts have only the shapes and there are no fine intricate designs on them. "I feel Sri Lankan crafts should improve", he said. Indian crafts which Marwah showed us are replete with elegant designs. They also have more value addition such as gold painting and therefore more expensive. Brass carvings of the tribes in Chhattisgarh state of India are real artistic works. Most of them are unique compared to the moulded brass oil lamps and flower vases of Sri Lankan brass workers. Handicrafts are niche market products probably at higher prices. Most of them are unique artistic works. Although expensive almost all the products had been sold on the first day of the exhibition. The prices here are too high due to higher taxes said the Manager of the Gujarat State Handloom and Handicrafts Development Corporation Ltd Raj Rani Sharma. She said that taxes are higher and range from 40-65%. The Corporation provides materials and designs to women craft designers and pay the labour costs to them. One of the objectives of the corporation is to provide employment for women, Sharma said. The expensive silk and cotton work, pillow cases, clothing, Kashmir carpets, shawls and embroidery works among the range of colourful collection attracted upper class women. "Everybody likes our products, but they are expensive. This time we came for a demonstration and we had a small stock but now most of them have been sold. We are thinking of repricing our products when we come to Sri Lanka the next time. We will be here in March with more products at a lower price", Sharma said. Marwah said that the handloom industry in India is very large and there are thousands of products and millions of people depend on the industry. The price is not a factor in this market and our main markets are the USA and the EU countries and we are seeking markets everywhere because it will benefit our people, he said. There is healthy competition in the industry at international level. Prices are different but there is a market share for each country and each product because handicrafts vary from country to country, culture to culture or producer to producer, he said. The exhibition was organised by the Ministry of Cultural affairs and
National Heritage and the Indian High Commission to mark the 57th republic
day of India. |
|
| News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
| Produced by Lake House |
