No progress on Nepal govt's handicraft villages plan

03 Apr '13

2 min read

Even after identification of probable sites for setting up handloom villages by the Nepalese Government, the plan is yet to see the daylight, the Himalayan Times reported quoting the Federation of Handicraft Association of Nepal (FHAN) President Hem Ratna Shakya.

Aiming to support promotion and conservation of the country’s handicraft products, the Government spotted the Nepal Electricity Authority’s (NEA) Kharipati based site for setting up the handicraft village, while handicraft entrepreneurs proposed the site of Himal Cement Factory in Chovar, Kathmandu.

However, the things did not materialize as various issues including change in Government leadership are delaying execution of the plan, the FHAN President said.

FHAN is waiting for a signal from the side of the Government to initiate the project, he added.

Besides, NEA site, the Government even identified Surkhet, Itahari/Biratnagar, Dhangadi and Chitwan for developing handicraft villages.

Meanwhile, during a meeting with representatives of FHAN, Federation of Nepal Cottage and Small Industry and Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Department of Cottage and Small Industry representatives spotted some of the places in the five development regions as potential sites for setting up the villages.

As per FHAN’s plan, the handicraft village would have 12 products including woollen and silk carpets, traditional garments made from natural fabric, Pashmina and handloom. Each of these products would have one cluster and 20 enterprises.

Besides, each cluster would also house an auxiliary factory to produce accessories needed for producing handicrafts.

According to the Nepal Rastra Bank’s statistics, the country’s Pashmina and woollen carpet exports have declined by 46 percent year-on-year and 16.7 percent year-on-year, respectively, during the first seven months of the current fiscal year that began on July 15, 2012.

Nepal’s overall handicraft exports to India too dipped 72.3 percent year-on-year during the period.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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