Morung Express News
Dimapur | September 10
Of late, the handloom and handicraft industry having its share of constraints is prompting many artisans in Nagaland and the North East in general to migrate to other professions. The income generated by artisans is not enough to sustain their livelihood and therefore many traditional skilled workers are opting for jobs providing better means of income. The industry is also being faced with marketing constraints as handlooms and handicrafts face stiff challenges in terms of export. Without proper streamlining, the industry is bound to be affected by various factors like marketing, technological innovations and changing trends of buyers.
However, all is not lost for handlooms and handicrafts. Dhiraj Thakuria, the Deputy General Manager for the North East Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation (NEHHDC), says that the need of the hour is to get better prices to prevent further migration of artisans. Marketing has been badly affected due to non-uniformity in products, designing constraints and lack of awareness about quality raw material. Thakuria says that artisans in the region, owing to the three factors, have not been able to compete in the global market. He said that the Naga artisans are quality conscious but lack fusion with changing trends, but expressed optimism that there is a good prospect for the industry in Nagaland in the days ahead.
Considering that a large number of buyers are aesthetically rich, NEHHDC has come up with steps to train and help artisans in Nagaland with marketing strategies, and also impart awareness on quality control. In this regard, a two-day seminar on business skills for artisans and entrepreneurs started today in Dimapur. NEHHDC will also assist in marketing local products by holding exhibitions all across the country. Thakuria foresees the need for more entrepreneurship in Nagaland in order to meet demands of bulk production in the markets outside. He said awareness has gone up among Nagas and hopefully many artisans will come forward to attend the seminar.
To cross over from being just traditional artisans, the government of Nagaland is also currently in the process of setting up a ‘design bank’ in order to keep up with global changing trends. A ‘raw material bank’ has already been set up in Dimapur under the Nagaland Handloom and Handicraft Development Corporation. The bank will provide raw materials like wood, bamboo and cane at subsidised rates.
