The government has begun the process to create the much awaited SAARC
Handicraft Development Centre, one of the seven in the South Asian region, in
the country to ensure quality products and promote the export of Nepalese
handicraft items.
It has allocated Rs. 50 million
for the construction of building for the centre which will be built at the
premises of the Department of Industry, Tripureshwor.
Handicraft entrepreneurs, who
criticized the government for the budget which was silent about the centre and
other programmes to produce skilled human resources, are delighted with the new
government move to construct a SAARC-standard handicraft development centre.
In his budget speech, Finance
Minister Bishnu Prasad Poudel had promised to provide budget to enhance the
production of the goods that have high export potential and promote such
products in the international market.
Once the centre was build, SAARC
Development Fund will provide approximately USD 1.7 million for its operation and
instrument management, informed Dharma Raj Shakya, president of the Federation
of Handicraft Associations of Nepal (FHAN).
The centre will have handicraft
showroom, quality testing laboratory, design centre and training programmes to
support the sector.
“It will also facilitate in
research and development progremmes in order to design and promote indigenous
and innovative handicraft products,” said Dr. Govinda Prasad Regmi, director
general of the FHAN.
The government has planned to
operate the handicraft as per the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) model.
“Nepal
will receive the final document for the handicraft centre from the SDF, Bhutan by next
month. We have been planning to organize the stone laying ceremony of the
building in August this year,” informed Dr. Regmi.
Nepalese handicraft
entrepreneurs had been demanding such centre for years while SAARC
ministerial-level meeting held in Kathmandu in April 2013 had agreed to
establish such centre in all member countries and also decided to assign the
Handicraft and Handloom Export Corporation, India as the lead agency to further
the process.
However, such centres will be
built in all SAARC member nations but India .
“India said that it does not need
such centre as its handicraft products have already captured a good market
share in international trade,” said Dr. Regmi.
According to the FHAN, the size of handicraft
business in Nepal
is more than Rs. 20 billion per annum and the sector has been contribution more
than 12 per cent in the country’s export. Nepalese handicrafts are exported to
about 80 countries in Asia, Americas
and Europe .
No comments:
Post a Comment