By Arnold Mutemi
Chronicle, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwean handicraft dealers missed an opportunity to deal directly with Indian handicraft manufacturers and cut out foreign middlemen after they failed to attend the Indian Gift and Handicraft Fair in India.
The Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts in India extended an invitation to buyers from Zimbabwe to attend the fair last week but inquires by Chronicle revealed that there were no Zimbabwean buyers.
In contrast, South Africa was heavily represented while there was a buyer from Namibia who took advantage of the EPCH offer to pay for hotel accommodation and airfares to India.
However, the EPCH, which wants to increase its market penetration to developing countries after years of concentrating on North America and Western Europe, also needs to do a lot to raise awareness among Indian handicraft manufacturers about African countries.
At most stands visited by Chronicle, the exhibitors were not aware of Zimbabwe and its potential as a market for their products.
Despite lack of Zimbabwean buyers, a huge potential exists for Indian handicrafts in Zimbabwe.
According to EPCH trade in handicrafts between Zimbabwe and India has been increasing over the past few years with handicrafts worth more than US$270 000 exported to Zimbabwe between last year and this year.
In 2009-07, the trade was worth US$260 000.
However, this amount is a minuscule compared to total Indian handicraft exports which stand at more than US$3,4 billion annually with a target of US5, 5 billion in 2011-09.
Although some of the products on display at the IHGF were similar to those made here, such as metal trinkets by members of an apostolic sect, the quality of Indian products was on another level.
Also likely to be snapped up by the monied building mansions in upmarket areas such as Selborne Park in Bulawayo who might want something that can never be found in another home are handmade carpets from Uttar Pradesh.
The carpets are made from designs passed from father to son and never to daughter because the secret must be kept in the family.
For those wanting something different, they can order marble products from the city of Agra, home to the Taj Mahal.
The marble is taken from the same place where marble than adorns Taj Mahal was taken.
Namibian buyer Ms Pam Miller, said a huge potential exists for Indian handicrafts in southern Africa, especially among the wealthy.
She said many people in Zimbabwe and Namibia were buying the products through South African middlemen.
However, she said the South Africans were putting huge mark ups on the products and to break this, buyers from the two countries had to import directly from India.
“South Africans are buying and selling at three times the prices here. We have to break this,†said Ms Miller.
She said she was looking for products which she could add value to before selling back in Namibia.
The executive director of EPCH, Mr Rakesh Kumar, said unlike handicrafts from other countries, those from India were handmade.
“Indian handicrafts are handmade not like other countries where handicrafts are machine made. Each piece is hand carved. Items from India are unique as far as designs are concerned,†he said.
The chairman of the India Expo Mart, Mr Navratan Samdria, said the quality of Indian handicrafts had improved over the past 20 years and were now being copied in other countries.