The Indian Handicrafts
and Gifts Fair - Autumn 2003 opened at Pragati Maidan here today.
It was inaugurated by the Secretary Textiles Shri S.B. Mohapatra.
Textiles Minister Shri Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, Minister of States
for Textiles Shri Gingee N. Ramachandran, senior officials and
a large number of buyers from other countries were present on
the occasion.
With the participation
of about 1200 manufacturer-exporters, the fair is the largest
in Asia. Spread over 11 halls and an area of 60,000 square meters,
the fair show cases the rich product range of Indian handicraft
sector comprising gifts, decoratives, art metal ware, wood ware,
home utility items, fashion jewellery, fashion accessories like
bags and purses, hand crafted home textiles, furnishing, furniture,
floor coverings, Christmas and floral decorations, hand printed
textiles etc. One of the main attractions of the fair is the
showcasing of eco-friendly utilitarian products from the north-eastern
states. This is done in a special gallery called ‘Theme of the
North Eastern Handicrafts’.
Coinciding with the
Indian Handicrafts and Gifts Fair is the first edition of Spot
India – the country’s biggest business-to-business fair for
sports goods, outdoor products and toys. Spot India-2003 brings
together over 100 leading Indian manufacturers and displays
the widest range of sports goods, outdoor and leisure items,
hobby products and toys made in India. Spot India 2003 has been
organised in association with Sports Goods Exports Promotion
Council and Toy Association with India.
The four day fair
has attracted a large number of international buyers including
those from Europe, North America, Latin America, Central Asia,
Japan, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia, Saudi Arabia and South
Africa. The buyers will have an opportunity to see the artisans
at work. The exports of Indian Handicrafts have seen a steady
rise over the last decade, going up from Rs.1970 crore in 1993-94
to Rs.8343 crore during 2002-03.
The Textiles Minister
Shri Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, the Minister of State for Textiles
Shri Gingee N. Ramachandran went around the various stalls and
interacted with the artisans.
