Govt lays emphasis on boosting handicraft sector

10 May '11

2 min read

Weerakumara Dissanayake, Deputy Minister of Traditional Industries and Small Enterprise Development said that, the Mahinda Chinthana policy has laid significant emphasis on development of country's handicraft industry.

He said this while speaking at a workshop organized for domestic handicraft makers at the National Craft Council.

Presently, the tourism industry is on a rise and majority of the tourists are keen on buying local handicraft items, and thus the demand for Sri Lankan handicraft items which come in premium quality, is set to go up, the official said.

Buddhi Keerthisena, Chairman of National Crafts Council, while addressing the workshop stated that, it is not possible to develop the handicraft industry with sole focus on the domestic market, as the global market too needs to be equally emphasized on.

Manufacturing high quality handicrafts is the key to cater to global demands and hence Sri Lanka needs to develop a new vision for the handicraft industry, he added.

It is important to provide training to those who are engaged in the industry, he said and added that, the industry needs to focus on developing the traditional as well as new designs.

Further he also revealed that, the National Crafts Council is all set to organize an exhibition together with the local handicraft artisans, to promote local handicrafts.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India