First ever handloom buyer-seller meet kicks off in Bihar

08 Aug '09

3 min read

The first state Level buyer-seller meet for handlooms under 'Integrated Handloom Development Scheme (IHDS)' interventions in Bihar, is being organized at Hotel Maurya Patna during 8-10 August 2009. The event was inaugurated By Shri Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Hon'ble Industry Minister, Bihar on 8 August 2009. Shri Ashok Kumar Sinha, Principal Secretary, Dept. of Industries, Govt. of Bihar, presided over the function. Shri U.N Thakur, Director Handloom and Sericulture, Dept. of Industries, Govt. of Bihar and other senior officers from the State Govt. were present at the occasion.

The event is being attended by around 15 buyers/exporters that have strong marketing linkages with developed market like USA and Europe. Some of the prominent buyers attending the event are from Canada, Dubai and Bangladesh. In addition to the buyers coming from abroad, many exporters located in Ahmedabad and Delhi are also attending this three days event. The buyers include - M/s Ethnic village Imports Ltd. from Canada, M/s Skylink Textiles from Dubai, M/s Mona Exports from Ahmedabad and India Marketing Services from Noida are a few names amongst them.

The meet is being attended by weaver representatives from nine handloom clusters of Bihar under IHDS interventions, namely NathNagar, Champanagar, Kharik & Hussainabad from Bhagalpur, Katoria (Banka), Sigori (Patna), Biharsharif (Nalanda), Bhauara (Madhubani) and Manpur (Gaya). An exclusive and colorful range of handloom product comprising of saris, dress materials, furnishings, stoles, duppattas and bedcovers woven in Tasar silk, linen & cotton have been showcased by the weavers.

A website www.handloomsofbihar.com was published on the public domain on this occasion. The website showcases the profiles, products and contact details of the handloom clusters. Furthermore the website has been linked with www.fibre2fashion.com, a global portal dedicated for trade promotion of textiles. This initiative shall facilitate an online outreach for the handloom products of Bihar at a global platform, besides the trade linkages being provided by buyers attending the meet physically.

The Handlooms Sector is the second largest employer in India. The sector represents the continuity of the age-old Indian heritage of hand weaving. The Government has been following a policy of promoting and encouraging the handloom sector through a number of policies and programmes to facilitate handloom weavers to meet the challenges of a globalized environment. A need has also been felt to empower weavers to chart out a sustainable path for growth and diversification in line with the emerging market trends.

The Integrated Handlooms Development Scheme (IHDS) of the Office of DC (Handlooms), Ministry of Textiles, Govt. of India is an attempt to facilitate the sustainable development of handloom weavers located in and outside identified handloom clusters into a cohesive, self managing and competitive socio-economicunit. The IHDS Scheme is presently being implemented in Bihar in Nine handloom clusters through 'IL&FS Cluster Development Initiative Ltd.' with active support of The State Govt.

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