Traders plan handicraft onslaught at China fair
ALKA S PANDE
Posted online: Friday , February 15, 2008 at 10:39:43
Updated: Thursday , February 14, 2008 at 10:58:14
Lucknow Newsline, India
Lucknow, February 14 The Hindi heartland is looking to China for technology. Hand tools like drills and high-tech, cost-effective textile machines will come in exchange of PVC dishes for microwave ovens, potato chips and catalogue printing.
That is what a 50-strong business delegation to join the bi-annual industrial fair in China aims to accomplish.
The team, led by Indian Industries Association (IIA) is leaving for China’s Guangzhou to attend the 103rd Canton Fair — scheduled to start from April 15.
“The aim is get a first-hand account of their technology sector and at the same time showcase our handicrafts for future export-import tie-ups,†said DS Verma, Secretary, IIA.
Over the last eight months, the IIA members have made a list of 30 items that have export potential.
The IIA has tied up with three chambers of commerce in China for facilitating meetings between manufacturers and potential buyers. “The state may not boast of big industrial houses, but it has a large number of small and medium industries (SMEs) contributing 60 per cent of the total handicraft export of India,†said Verma.
A UP-based telecom products manufacturer, Praveen Chandra, who has been attending the fair for the last 10 years, however, said the event is an ideal opportunity to get exposure.
“But the participants should do their homework properly have their aims clear,†he said. “Or it would be a futile exercise because it is not a level playing field for SMEs and SSIs,†he added.
Roughly, the state has between 25 to 50 industrialists having an annual turnover of over Rs 100 crore. But the SSIs and the SMEs involved in handicraft have immense potential for export.
“There are manufacturers in UP who are making potato chips, microwave dishes from PVC, gwar gum (starch made from lentils and wheat and used in baking), woodcraft and brassware. They stand a good chance to be sold in China,†said Praveen Sadana, a member of IIA.
Another IIA member, Pankaj Agarwal, who has his pulp and paper-manufacturing unit in Muzaffarnagar, sees the fair as an opportunity to import machinery for the paper industry. “I have already imported machines from China, but now I am exploring avenues to mass import,†said Agarwal.