Good scope for handicrafts exports: Craft Council

Hyderabad, Apr 15: Craft Council Chairperson Lalith Prasad today urged artisans to step up export of exquisite handicraft items to developed countries, including European nations and the US, taking advantage of the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) scheme.

Inaugurating a workshop on Export Procedure and Documentation here, she said Indian handicrafts, including carpets, have a constantly growing export market at the rate of 20 to 25 per cent every year.

Ms Prasad asked the artisans to take advantage of the concession duty tariff on import of products extended by the US, European Union (EU) countries, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, Belarus and Bulgaria.

Apart from the GSP, Eu countries extended an additional concessional duty on consignment with exclusive handicraft products.

Textile clothing and made ups of special and traditional nature have a great demand in the above countries, she pointed out, adding that textile handicrafts accounted for exports worth Rs 8,935 crore during 2006-07.

Presently, about 1.25 crore artisans in the country produced about Rs 50,000 crore worth of handicrafts, with exports accounting for 33 per cent of the total production, she added.

UNI