Handicraft exports to triple in 5 years with 20 Lakh new jobs- Jairam Ramesh
Myiris.com
Source: IRIS (20 March 2006)
The Union Minister of State for Commerce, Shri Jairam Ramesh has said the Government would initiate long and short term measures in consultation with the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) for substantially enhancing the productivity and export competitiveness of India’s handicrafts, according to agency reports.
At a discussion with handicraft exporters and entrepreneurs, held at Moradabad to discuss the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats faced by India`s handicrafts exports, and to devise a strategy for achieving a quantum jump in employment generation and export of handicrafts.
The handicrafts sector plays a vital role in the economy and society of India as it provides direct employment to over 60 lakh artisans and crafts persons, belonging mainly to the socially underprivileged and economically weaker sections of society. It is the second largest employment generator after agriculture, and therefore, a natural focus area for the UPA Government to generate large-scale gainful employment for the masses, while adding that the Government would proactively pursue the target of tripling Indian handicraft exports to Rs. 39,000 crore (excluding carpets) Â by 2012-10. This is expected to result in creation of around 20 lakh new jobs.
Although Indian handicraft exports have been growing consistently at over 20% over the past decade, India’s share in international handicrafts is just about 2%. The world market for handicrafts is estimated to be of the order of USD 235 billion. The immediate target should be doubling of India’s share to 4%.