A buyer-seller meet was organised in Ahmedabad to promote products made in the Ahmedabad Handloom Cluster on July 22.
The meet was supported and sponsored by the Ministry of Textiles and Development Commissioner for Handlooms DC (Handlooms) in conjunction with Weavers' Service Centre.
It was inaugurated by Shri Kantibhai Lakum – MLA and Chairman GUSICA. A large number of weavers and buyers attended the meet, which had on display several handloom products like sofa set galichas (covers), dhurries (rugs) and carpets.
The meet began with lighting of the lamp by Shri Lakum. He was accompanied by Shri Solanki, Deputy Director – Weavers' Service Center, Shri Ashok Thakkar – Commissioner – Cottage and Rural Industries and Shri Pragjibhai Ziniya of Parag Handloom & Handicraft on the dais.
Inaugurating the buyer-seller meet, Shri Lakum said, “The handloom industry is an important component of the textile sector and is a means to provide employment to the lower strata of society; particularly the women folk of the state.”
He added, “These women are able to generate around Rs 75-100 per day, while working within the confines of their home as well as discharging their domestic responsibilities at the same time.”
He exhorted the weavers to produce quality products and with new designs in order to attract the attention of consumers.
The amount of grant attracted by Gujarat from the Centre related to the handloom sector is the lowest when compared to other states like Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. So, Shri Lakum advised the weavers' bodies to take maximum advantage of Union and State Government grants.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Solanki said, “The Weavers' Service Centre is helping handloom weavers to adapt new designs and also supporting in their marketing activities”.
Giving details about handloom activities in the Ahmedabad handloom cluster he informed, “Ahmedabad cluster is capable of producing a host of handloom products like bed sheets, pillow covers, rugs, sofa set covers etc.
“However, the need of the hour was to continuously improve the designs and develop innovative products in order to attract the attention of the buyers and consumers,” he added.
In particular, he thanked Fibre2fashion for extending their support to the handloom sector by promoting this vital sector through their portal and grabbing the attention of global buyers for Indian handloom products.
Shri Amarashish Phanse – Sr Business Development Manager at Fibre2fashion spoke about the activities of the portal, which includes promotion and branding of handloom, handicrafts and leather clusters across India, including attracting buyers from across the globe.
While highly appreciative of the quality of the handloom products produced in the state, he stressed upon the need for all – including State Government, undertakings, entities from the Gujarat handloom and handicrafts sectors to align them all to brand and promote their products globally, with the help of Internet.
In his analysis, lack of, or poor branding and promotion of Indian handloom and handicrafts products hindered the growth and promotion of these two very promising sectors. He assured all support to the Ahmedabad Handloom Cluster to ensure that it grew in a holistic manner as also through the Internet.
All in all, the entire buyer-seller meet met with a resounding success with a large number of buyers streaming in during the day-long event.
Fibre2fashion News Desk - India
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