Indian handicraft sector sees vast potential in China

13 Jun '12

2 min read

There is huge growth potential for Indian handicraft items in the Chinese market. In fact, Indian handicraft exports to Chin have grown manifold during the last few years.

Exports of handicraft items from India to China were worth Rs. 470 million in 2008-09 and the figure increased to Rs. 730 million in 2009-10. The figure further surged to Rs. 5 billion in 2010-11, according to data from the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH).

“The main categories that are showing an increasing trend include hand-painted textiles, handmade woolen products, and shawls,” Mr. Rakesh Kumar, Director of EPCH, told fibre2fashion.

Mr. Kumar attributes the growth in demand for Indian handicraft products to the shift in manufacturing from handmade to machine made items in China.

“We had earlier participated in the World Expo in Shanghai, where we noticed that there is a lot of interest from the Chinese for Indian handicrafts,” avers Mr. Kumar.

“We plan to participate in major trade shows in Shanghai and other places this year, as it would enable us to directly interact with the buyers and importers and plan things in a better and bigger way. We want to get more involved in it and invite participation from manufacturers and exporters of handicrafts. Since we are about to participate in the fair, its effect will be visible in 2013-14,” he says.

The US and Europe have been the traditional markets for Indian handicrafts, but due to slowdown in these countries, EPCH is currently exploring other markets.

“Besides China, we see strong demand for Indian handicrafts in South America, particularly countries like Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, etc.,” he informs.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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