A glimpse of the seminar on Export Awareness jointly conducted by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade and Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts at the SOvima Crafts Centre, Chümoukedima on June 11. (Morung Photo)
Morung Express News
Dimapur | June 11
A seminar targeted at enhancing skill and knowledge about international trade practices or ‘export’ was organised on June 11 at the Sovima Craft Centre, Chümoukedima. With entrepreneurs and artisans in Nagaland as the target audience, the seminar was jointly organised by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Ministry of Commerce & Industry and the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) under the Niryat Bandhu Scheme.
It featured speakers from key areas and departments, including officials from the Development Commissioner for Handicrafts, Department of Posts and state government departments/agencies. The seminar aimed to enhance awareness and understanding of the ‘export’ sector among potential exporters, including e-commerce exporters.
The speakers were Sanjeev Kumar, Handicraft Promotion Officer; Bhaskar Baruah, Project Officer, EPCH; Daniel Domesh, System Manager, Department of Posts; Harish Kesari, Consultant, DGFT; Anini Nyenga, Consultant, Investment Development Authority of Nagaland (IDAN); Asangla, Deputy Director, Department of Industries & Commerce; and Jesmina Zeliang, Regional Convenor, EPCH (NER).
The event was attended by 50 participants, including artisans, entrepreneurs, and representatives from NGOs and the North East Multipurpose Development Society.
With over 20 years of experience in the export promotion sector, Jesmina Zeliang pointed out a number of challenges which she termed as detrimental to export promotion in Nagaland. According to her, Nagaland particularly lacks in three areas—capacity or inability to meet demand, market intelligence and high production costs, prohibiting homegrown entrepreneurs from entering markets. She though maintained the challenges are not impenetrable and urged the Naga entrepreneurs to utilise the export marketing platforms offered by EPCH.
Harish Kesari provided an overview of the support initiatives offered by DGFT, explaining export procedures and strategies. He highlighted the DGFT's efforts in the Northeast region to convert entrepreneurs, small manufacturers, and artisans into exporters.
Bhaskar Baruah presented an in-depth overview of the export process, discussing the various “backward and forward linkages” and export marketing initiatives beneficial for handicrafts exports.
Sanjeev Kumar explained the schemes offered by the Ministry of Textiles for entrepreneurs and artisans, focusing on capacity building and market access support.
Anini Nyenga detailed the schemes available to support new entrepreneurs and artisans in scaling their businesses.
Asangla offered insights into the initiatives of the Nagaland government to develop the business environment for entrepreneurs and artisans.
Daniel Domesh explained the Dak Ghar Niryat Kendra initiative, which supports logistics facilities for new entrepreneurs and artisans to ensure smooth consignment delivery.
About Niryat Bandhu
The DGFT Niryat Bandhu Scheme aims to use international commerce and e-commerce exports as catalysts for economic development. By supporting new exporters and equipping them with the necessary information and skills, the program seeks to boost India's export competitiveness and accelerating export growth.
About EPCH
The EPCH is the nodal agency promoting handicrafts exports from India. It aims to create a brand image for the country's diverse and skilled artisans producing home, lifestyle, textiles, furniture and fashion jewelry and accessories. In the fiscal year 2022-23, handicrafts exports amounted to Rs. 30,019.24 Crores (US $ 3,728.47 Million).
