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| Sunday, 11 May 2003 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Handicrafts Trade Fair during Esala season The Ministry of Central Region Development will hold a Handicrafts Trade Fair and Exhibition in August to coincide with the Esala Perahera Festival season. Local craftsmen and traders and organisations engaged in the manufacturing and trading of these artifacts are expected to participate. Craftsmen of other provinces will also participate. The handicraft sector can create more job opportunities. Nearly 170,000 people or 2.1 per cent of the country's employee population is directly or indirectly engaged in the handicraft sector, which has become an important contributor to the rural economy. Opportunities for low-key capital investment, widespread spatial coverage in investment, facility to use local raw materials, environmental friendliness, compatibility with the local culture and heritage, and the availability of local and overseas markets are reasons to develop this sector. The objectives of developing handicrafts in the Central Region have been cited by the organisers as increasing employment opportunities, harnessing the untapped potential of the rural population, diversifying the traditional handicraft industry, creating opportunities for the efficient use of locally available resources, increasing the Gross National Product, creating opportunities for rural women to engage in activities other than agriculture, increasing marketing opportunities for the industry giving due consideration to the comparable attractiveness of the Central Region for tourists, preserving handicrafts, which reflect Sri Lanka's cultural identity, developing the industry as an attraction for youths, creating export opportunities, creating awareness about local usage of handicraft products and developing the industry to be environmental-friendly. |
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