Crafts fair ends on a successful note

BHUBANESWAR: Curtains came down on the three-day second International Handloom and Handicraft Fair 2011, held at the Handicrafts Complex here, on Saturday. The event was designed to provide the artisans a platform to showcase their products to international buyers. Member-secretary of State Institute of Development of Arts & Crafts (SIDAC) P K Tripathy said that this time, an on-the-spot business of Rs 1.3 crore was registered. “We are expecting an immediate follow-up business of another Rs  3 crore with a large number of international buyers collecting handicraft and handloom samples from the exhibitors. The figure might go up in another six months,” he added. As many as 42 overseas buyers, designers and exporters from 11 countries including the US, South Africa, Australia, Poland, Germany, Singapore and Lebanon had participated in the fair.Tripathy said many buyers and designers have collected handloom samples to suggest changes in the design patterns and colour combinations before placing the orders.“The handloom fabrics of Orissa are always in great demand. There was a great variety on display here which is not available with our suppliers. But some changes are required in the colour combinations and patterns to make these  products saleable abroad,” said Michael Boy, a designer from Germany. The Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Textiles and Handlooms Department Arti Ahuja said the fair was aimed at eliminating middlemen in the sale of handicrafts and handloom products to international buyers. “The fair served as a platform where the artisans could have a direct interaction with the buyers. It’s now up to them to finalise the orders,” said Ahuja. Besides the fair, national awardees from both the handloom and handicraft sectors had set up stalls at the Complex for live demonstration of preparation of handloom and handicraft products. Eminent stone carving artist Raghunath Mohapatra’s team bagged an offer for an exhibition-cum-sale at Poland. The first International Handloom and Handicraft fair was organised in February last year that made an on-the-spot business of  Rs 1 crore and a follow-up business of  Rs 7 crore.