Japanese grant to help promote Bhutanese textiles

01 Apr '14

2 min read

The Government of Japan has allocated US$ 348,840 for 2014-15 activities under a UNDP project “Scaling up of income generation through traditional crafts and textiles production and marketing,” to Bhutan.

The Gross National Happiness Commission (GNHC) of Bhutan and UNDP Bhutan have signed the new project on the promotion of Brand Bhutan, according to an UNDP press release.

The project will be carried out by UNDP with Bhutan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs as the lead implementing partner.

Talking about the project, UNDP’s Hideko Hadzialic said, “This project is a solution to the recommendations of the Diagnostic Trade Integration Study (2012) and the National Export Strategy (2012), where handicrafts and textiles were identified as priority areas for job creation to improve the income of local producers and artisans.”

“Through this project, we would like more young people to get excited about textile and handicraft industries and proud of Bhutanese products and culture,” she adds.

Thinley Namgyel, Director of the GNHC said, “The project fits in very well with Bhutan’s current development agenda where the Government is promoting cultural industries as a means to alleviate poverty by helping micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).”

He further added that the project will benefit all craftsmen in Bhutan with new facilities made available through supply of raw materials; production capacity; effective marketing; quality and designing; and access to technical and financial support.

The project is designed for rural artisans to generate income and come out of poverty. It will ensure that Brand Bhutan maintains authenticity of Bhutanese products by making accessible micro-grants, refinement of design and marketing of the products, the UNDP statement said.

The overall project objective is to create income generation activities in both urban and rural areas to address underemployment and youth unemployment, and it will also enhance public private partnership both in and outside the country.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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