Tamil Nadu - Madurai   

`Handicraft exports mere 1.2 per cent of international market'

Staff Reporter

Immediate objective is to increase it; target is 4 per cent

MADURAI: The world export market for handicrafts stood at US $ 350 billion of which the Indian contribution was just 1.2 per cent, said R. Poornalingam, Secretary, Ministry of Textiles.

Participating in an interaction meeting with cluster members under Dr. Babsaheb Ambedkar Hasthashilp Vikas Yojana, organised by the Small Industries Product Promotion Organisation (SIPPO) here on Saturday, he said the immediate objective was to increase handicraft exports.

The Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) was contemplating to increase the Indian contribution in world export market and was confident of achieving the target of 4 per cent, as the export growth rate was 25 per cent, he said.

The Ministry had been sanctioning schemes worth Rs.100 crores every year and the artisans had a responsibility of preserving and developing their rich crafts, he said.

Speaking about the common facility centre (CFC) for handicraft artisans, he said the ministry had granted permission for artisan clusters to start 66 CFCs in the country but some of them failed to take off. The scheme had been modified to facilitate either clusters or individuals to start their own CFC with a maximum funding of Rs.60 lakhs, of which 40 per cent would be in the form of subsidy, Mr. Poornalingam said.

The Centre, he said, had so far distributed 4,000 to 5,000 cards and it had been planned to distribute one lakh cards in the next few years. Under credit guarantee scheme, credit extended to artisans would be insured for which the Government had reserved Rs.4 crores, he said.

The SIPPO had also organised distribution of artisan credit cards, inauguration of skill upgradation training for tie and dye cluster members under NABARD scheme and inaguration of electronic data processing (EDP) training on the occasion.

P. Sundaramurthy, Regional Director, Office of the Development Commissioner, G. R. Thambi, Assistant Director, Handicrafts Marketing and Service Extension Centre, S. Rajagopal, Managing Director, SIPPO, J. Vanangamudi, Lead District Manager, R. Srinivasan, Assistant General Manager, NABARD, and R. Nagarajan, Senior Manager, Indian Bank, participated.

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