Every decade needs its own craft manual. -Liberty Hyde Bailey
The latest buzz in the Indian handicrafts market is about the recent revelation that the handicraft industry is worth $100 billion worldwide and India has only 1.2% of this market. Rubbing salt into wounds is another fact that China, Indonesia, and Vietnam are the three largest exporters of handicrafts in the world.
Despite the fact that the Indian handicraft industry is showing signs of improvement (the first half of the current fiscal year was $1.07 billion, about 24 percent more than the $864 million achieved in the first half of last year), the fact is that it is still miles away from the top 3 coveted slots. Union Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran recently announced that his Ministry would give top priority to developing schemes and other initiatives to promote the marketing of handloom handicrafts and products. His ministry set an export goal of $2.2 billion, exclusively for the handicrafts segment.
Many small exporters owe their poor performance to three main factors: lack of information on market demands, their small size, and the use of outdated machinery/technology.
India has many USPs to help it become one of the leading exporters globally. These factors are
* Easy availability of labor, that too at an economical price.
* Easy availability of raw materials.
* High domestic consumption.
The cottage industry supports more than six million artisans, a large part of which is made up of women artisans, generally from the weaker sectors of society. The United States, Canada, France, Great Britain, Italy and Germany have been the largest importers of Indian handicrafts. One of the encouraging signs is the development in sectors such as retail, real estate, etc. which has increased the demand for artisan products in the urban sector.
Despite all the positive signs that we have discussed above, there are also some problem areas (mainly with the small-scale crafts segment).
* Lack of application of new technological innovations despite awareness.
* Lack of funds to establish businesses/handicraft factories, etc.
* Inability to keep in touch with ever-changing trends and market demands.
* Lack of adequate infrastructure.
* Image problem: The industry is confined to small towns and rural areas and is not considered a lucrative career option.
Slowly but gradually things are looking up in the Indian handicraft sector. With the renewed interest from the current government, the Indian handicraft industry appears to be well on its way to a speedy recovery. Companies have also become very interested in the craft sector, which would further accelerate its growth. Many handicraft exporters are also using online media as a distribution channel to tap into the western market. Hopefully, in the times to come, Indian Handicrafts Exporters could write one of the most remarkable success stories of all time.