Stresses on transforming NE into a global handloom, handicrafts hub
Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio on Friday convened the third meeting of High-Level Task Force on Handlooms and Handicrafts to discuss the final draft of the report prepared on the sector.
The meeting held through video conferencing saw participation of Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Union Minister of State of Ministry of DoNER Dr. Sukanta Majumdar; Minister for Sports and youth Welfare, Assam Nandita Garlosa; Mizoram minister of state for commerce & industry F. Rodingliana; Secretary Ministry of DoNER; and senior officers of Government of Manipur and Ministry of Textiles.
In a social media post, Rio said since their first meeting in July and the second session in September, they have made steady progress.
“We come together once again with fresh energy and a strong sense of purpose to turn our shared dream into reality. Our goal is to transform the North East into a globally recognised, sustainable, and culturally vibrant hub for handlooms and handicrafts,” he said.
The chief minister also said that guided by a clear strategic vision, they shared one common goal—to transform the North East region into a global handloom & handicrafts hub, creating sustainable livelihoods & celebrating cultural pride. “I am grateful to all members for their valuable inputs & hopeful of a productive outcome,” Rio added.
A cluster-based development approach for handlooms and handicrafts was discussed, with the objective of strengthening the entire value chain and ensuring sustainable and remunerative livelihood for artisans.
The approach focuses on skill upgradation through master craftsman training; quality testing and certification; promotion of sustainable natural fibres and natural dyes, and integration with e-commerce platforms for domestic and export markets.
Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, emphasised that the Ministry of Textiles should take leadership from a handloom and handicrafts perspective and develop a clear structure, beginning with one handloom and one handicraft product, and demonstrate success.
With the focus areas already identified, discussions centred on how to move forward, starting with the identification of artisans within handloom or handicraft clusters.
It was highlighted that the value chain must be developed taking into consideration the market demand and the production chain should be established accordingly, and not the other way around. Product differentiation at the end-product level should also be part of the strategy to promote handlooms and handicrafts and this is possible when markets and buyers are also integrated into the value chain. The need to identify interventions required from all stakeholders, including MDoNER, Ministry of Textiles, State Governments, private parties, to move from the current situation to the desired outcome, was also underscored.
The discussions further emphasised the importance of on-ground handholding, with a proposal to deploy one handloom and handicraft resource person at the cluster level and to have a representative of the buyer present on the ground to ensure alignment with market requirements.
Highlighting the long-term impact of the initiative, Scindia stated, “By bringing all stakeholders into the value chain, we will be able to see, over the next 2–3 years, how the income of artisans grows. The key question is what impact our interventions will have on the weavers. Our end objective is to ensure that this project brings long term benefit to artisans. Handloom and handicrafts are art forms and India’s wealth. Handmade products are witnessing unprecedented value, comparable to precious stones. India must not only preserve this heritage but make it truly remunerative for its artisans.”