Development of Handicraft Sector as a

Sustainable Livelihood Option

(PAN Indian Level Perspective)

Presented By:
Export Promotion Council For Handicrafts (EPCH)
www.epch.in

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Presentation Structure

 About EPCH
 Work Done by EPCH for Handicraft Development
 Project Description and Objective
 Elaboration on Entrepreneurship Development Service
 Elaboration of producer groups/ Self – Help Groups
 Elaboration on Skilling Services
 Elaboration on Product & Design Services
 Elaboration on Marketing Intervention
 Project Outcome

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About Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts

 Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) is registered under section 8

of Companies Act as non-profit organisation in the year 1986

 Objective: To promote, support, protect, maintain and increase the export of

handicrafts.

 Apex organization representing over 11000 Indian Handicrafts manufacturers

& exporters.

 Credited with Organizing world largest Handicrafts Exporter Congregation ie.

IHGF Delhi Fair which is EPCH’s flagship event, held biannually i.e. Spring &
Autumn edition, over 3000 participants from Pan India. The event is also
recognized by “Limca Book of Records” for largest Congregation for
handicraft under one roof.

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INDIAN HANDICRAFTS-HIGHLIGHTS

EMPLOYMENT
• 7 Million Artisans
• Female Artisans – 47.4 %

MEMBERSHIP
• 11,000 Members as on date

EXPORTS
• Handicrafts exports during 2017-18
US$ 3555.40 Million (Rs. 22916.30
crores)
• Handicrafts Export 2018-19
26590.25 Crores

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Work Done by EPCH for Handicraft Development

Skill Development & Training:

 Skill Development Project at Narsapur for Crochet Lace Craft – Over 5000
artisans benefited
 Skill development program for furniture, metal and applique , Hand
Embroidery, Tie & Dye, Bone & horn crafts artisans in the area of Jodhpur
and Barmer district of Rajasthan. Over 3000 artisans trained
 Integrated Design Training on various craft on Pan India Basis. Over 60
program organized and 2400 artisan learnt new design and technique which
are saleable.
 Soft skill training programme on “EDP/Export marketing, packaging
&technology, testing & standardization” on Pan India Basis. – Over 500
artisans participated in the program
 Seminar /Workshop on Export Documentation, Custom Procedure , Digital
Marketing, Packaging on Pan India Basis. – Over 3500 craftsperson attended
the workshop and understood the procedure
 EPCH has initiate Centre for Handicraft Export Management in Moradabad,
Delhi, Jodhpur, Jaipur. Total 5 batches completed.

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Work Done by EPCH for Handicraft Development

Marketing Initiatives:
 Aggressive international marketing project for the development and promotion
of north eastern crafts
 Aggressive Domestic and International promotion of Crochet Lace Craft of
Narsapur, Andhra Pradesh
 Aggressive Domestic and International promotion of Craft of Jodhpur and
Barmer, Rajasthan
 Marketing opportunities in India for a large number of exporters from the small
and medium sector through Indian Handicrafts & Gift Fair (Spring & Autumn
editions every year) rebranded as IHGF Delhi fair over 3000 exhibitors in each
show.
 Product Specific show also organized by Council such as IFJS, Home Expo.
 Participation in over 40 international level fair for promotion of Indian
Handicrafts all over the globe.

 Council has organized several marketing events at Domestic and International

level - such as BSM, RBSM, Retail Fair, Exhibition and B2B event
 Over 3000 craftsperson benefited from the marketing intervention

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Work Done by EPCH for Handicraft Development

Infrastructure Development:
 Common Facility Centres & Photo
framing Technology Centre at
Saharanpur and Jodhpur.
 Technology Upgradation Centre at
Saharanpur.
 International Lace Trade Centre at
Narsapur.
 Dying unit at Narsapur for yarn
dying
 Resource Centre at Moradabad .
 Handicrafts productivity
centre/Wood testing lab at Jaipur
 Trade Facilitation Centre at
Jodhpur – Up-coming

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Project Description and Objective

DESCRIPTION
 The project proposes to support the local ecosystem of handicraft industry to generate livelihood
opportunities for poor rural communities including the artisans.
 EPCH proposes setting up Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in select craft clusters to meet the above stated
objectives.
 The proposed COEs shall have following service verticals for meeting multifarious needs of exporters
and artisans:
 Skilling Development Services
 Product & Design Development Services
 Entrepreneurship development
 Producer Group/ SHG development
 Marketing Services

OBJECTIVES
 Developing the rural community with promotion of SHGS with focus to empower the marginal rural
artisans due to long period of privilege denial and opportunity.
 The overall goal of the project is to significantly increase the incomes and economic security of poor
rural artisans and their households and to increase the availability of a wider range of
opportunities/services to the poor (predominantly rural young men women) and their use of those
services.
 SHG initiatives in this project is on savings for poor household is a poverty- focused project designed to
address the fundamental problem of low incomes for poor artisans and their limited control over their
income.
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Entrepreneurship Development Services

The framework for entrepreneurship development services in outlined below

• It will be a 1 day workshop for 50 people per workshop.

Phase 1: Awareness • The artisans shall be educated about the following aspects in a broad
Generation and level: Sourcing, Design, Production Process, Marketing Method, Finance,
education workshops Entrepreneurship.

• Around 25% of the participants in awareness generation and education

workshop shall be shortlisted on the basis of certain criteria for the
purpose of engagement in the 3-days knowledge imparting and business
Phase 2: Knowledge model development workshop to cover the above-mentioned subjects in
Imparting and business detail.
model development • The ultimate aim of organization of these programs is to increase the
workshop knowledge of the new entrants of this region in the export business and to
promote exports from the region.

• Participants who have successfully attended the knowledge Imparting and

business model development workshop shall be selected for the
Phase 3: Handholding handholding support. shall be selected for the handholding support. They
for business stabilization will be provided supports like merchandizing and marketing support
module through Fair Participation.

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 Skilling Services

The Intervention Design

Step-1 Scenario Understanding: Mapping the villages with high concentration of artisan families in the identified district

Step-2 Target beneficiary: Identifying and selecting artisans based on criteria such as gender, age , education, craft etc.

Step-3 Training: Putting the target beneficiary segment through intensive training programs

Step-4 Institutional Support: Handholding the trainees for the duration of 6 months for self business ventures and
development of independent micro enterprises (SHGs)

Step 5 Self Reliance: Providing forward and backward linkages for sustainability of enterprises

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Producer Groups/ Self – Help Groups

The CoEs shall develop self- help groups of the artisans in the following phases
• Field officers from COEs will meet Village Resource committee and Panchayat
members and mobilize artisans by talking with them about the advantage of
Phase 1: Creation organizing themselves in SHG.
of SHGs • The artisans will be provided with banking linkage and seed capitals to start the
micro enterprise.

• The SHGs should develop internal capacity to manage their financial goals.
• Within 6 -24 months they should build capacity via the following methods:
Phase 2: Capacity Preparing micro investment plan(MIP), Creating linkages with the banks, Setting
Building of SHGs up primary federation of producer groups which makes them sustainable

• At the cluster level COEs will facilitate the formation of the Producer Group and
Phase 3: Formation all the SHG forms will be linked with the Producer Group for business
of Producer Groups generation.

• After the initial twenty-four months, the focus would be on visioning/planning,

promoting new livelihoods, new products and creating social capital.
Phase 4: Livelihood • Specialized institutions which work on scaling, to ensure backward and forward
Generation linkages with the market, and enable access to information, credit and
technology could be partnered with to make SHGs self-reliant.

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Skilling Services

Possible Outcomes

 To improve livelihood, a multi-skilling training centers shall provide skilling courses in multiple craft
domains.

 It will also provide tools and raw materials to train rural youth for setting up their own ventures.

 It will also provide seed capitals in case the trained artisans worked as SHGs.

 The council will provide forward and backward linkages to the beneficiary segment undergoing
training at the skilling centre.

 A team will be formed and deployed by the council and shall undertake market development
endeavours for the micro enterprises/ Self Help Groups (SHGs) of the beneficiaries trained in various
trades in the skilling centre.

 After completion of training and capacity building, depending on the course, the beneficiary can take
up multiple routes to become self-dependent.

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Product & Design Development Services

Need for Product & Design Services

 The design of the products developed by the artisans in the Handicraft cluster in India is outdated
which results in lower per unit value realization and thereby lower profitability for the artisans.

 The outdated design scenario is primarily resulting from the lack of awareness among the artisans
with regards to contemporary designs.

 Unavailability of the updated design has resulted in the artisans not being able to produce the
products which are marketable and saleable.

 Therefore, Design of the craft encompasses the aesthetic and intrinsic attributes of the craft which
enable differentiation and higher value realization.

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Design Development Services

Considerations for design development intervention in a structured manner

 Selecting the Craft, the Artisans and the Geographical Area

 Determining a Realistic Scope for the Intervention
 Selection of the Format for Intervention
 Preparation and orientation of the design team
 Understanding the Craft, Its Context and Environment. Integrating the context into the Format of
the Planned Intervention.
 Understanding the existing processes of the Craft: Materials, Processes, Technologies and
Practices
 Understanding the Artisan and establishing Communication. Humanizing the interaction and
Respecting the Artisan
 Treating the Artisan as a Creative partner, not as a skilled labor
 Building skills and capacities of Artisan, orienting the Artisan.
 Recognizing and developing the Product USP (Unique Selling Proposition).
 Tradition and Adaptation. Product semantics
 Understanding the Markets
 Sustained follow-ups of interventions

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Design Development Services

Key activities under design development services

 A cluster-based approach shall be carried out followed by a feasibility study and need identification
that helps in assessing design need and provides with a holistic vision.

 This shall be followed up with mapping the scope of strategizing the design intervention in various
areas like:
 Product design
 Product diversification
 Package design
 Branding, exhibitions, displays and product graphics
 Skill up-gradation, workstation design, tool designs, materials and processes design.
 Design audit shall be done to identify areas for design improvement and to make these changes
productive and efficient

 Design projects shall be undertaken that involves design institutes and design consultants, academia
linkages, testing designs at subsidized cost, offshoot application, new application, indigenization,
value addition and creating new opportunities.

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Marketing Initiatives

Need for the Marketing Initiative

 Craftsperson has limited access of the market to sell their product.

 Limited resources to access the services

 Poor presentation of the product

 No proper branding and promotion of the craft.

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Marketing Initiatives

Council will take-up various steps toward promotion of the crafts and to provide marketing plateform

 Export seminar in state capital and / or key cluster

 Marketing seminar in the state capital

 Exhibition of handicrafts from across the state in a central venue – preferably stand alone or with a
major trade fair of the state (if at all)

 Delegation of top exporters to the state either along with the exhibition or otherwise or Buyer Seller
Meet

 International buyer seller meets

 Branding of the craft

 GI promotion through marketing

 Promotion through Digital marketing and E-commerce initiatives

 Linkage with the DC (Handicrafts) marketing program

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Marketing Initiative
Possible Outcomes

 Direct access to the market.

 Awareness about the demand of the product

 Understand the taste of the buyer.

 Improved design base

 Improved market linkage both national as well as international leading to income enhancement of
artisans by approximately 20%

 Adequate production facilities for artisans for value addition and quality assurance in the form of
Common Facility Centers

 Overall improved livelihood

 Enhancement of artisan base

 Enhancement of exporter base

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Expected Project Outcome
Advantages to Artisans:
 Artisans in the target clusters would be equipped with the knowledge of latest designs and
production technologies.
 This would fetch the artisans higher per unit realization and improve market linkage both national as
well as international.
 It would lead to income enhancement of the artisans by approximately 20%.
 Artisans would be manufacturing innovative product designs on regular intervals which would keep
them relevant in the market.
 It would help the artisans improve their skills though the different Skilling activities taking place at
the Common Facility Centers.
 The buyers would find their products in line with the changing customer preferences and this would
help their agents to retain and increase their customer base.
Advantage to Industry:
 Improvement in manufacturing techniques would also help to increase the production volume while
maintaining adequate value addition and quality assurance.
 It would contribute towards long term sustainability of the micro-enterprises operated by artisans
self-help groups developed under the program.
 It would encourage the young generation to engage in the handicraft business, thereby augmenting
the local artisan base.
 It would also ensure availability of Raw Material in the Common Facility Centres.
 Lastly, one producer group will be set at each location to bring businesses for the artisans and help
them sustain.
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THANK YOU!!!

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