Handicraft exports rise 11pc on strong demand from China, US
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KATHMANDU, AUG 30 -
Exports of Nepali handicraft products climbed 11.71 percent in the last fiscal year on strong demand from China and the US.
According to the Federation of Handicraft Associations of Nepal (FHAN), exports amounted to Rs 3.1 billion in fiscal 2010-11, up from Rs 2.7 billion in the previous year. Overall exports remained upbeat despite a slump in orders from Europe except for the Netherlands market.
Sales to mainland China jumped to Rs 207.12 million last year from Rs 92.89 million in the previous year. Exports to the Tibet Autonomus Region of China increased five-fold to Rs 181.40 million from Rs 33.16 million during the same period.
Meanwhile, handicraft exports to the US market grew to Rs 889.27 million last year from Rs 739.48 million in the previous year. A breakdown of the exports by products shows that textile-based goods were down 5.08 percent while non-textile-based goods rose 31.72 percent, according to FHAN.
Among the products recording a rise in exports are metal crafts, woollen goods, stone crafts, handmade paper products, woodcrafts, cotton goods and felt products. Meanwhile, the major export products that saw a decline are pashmina products, silver jewellery, silk products and hemp goods.
Metal crafts were the largest export with a value of Rs 679.3 million followed by woollen goods worth Rs 495.4 million. Felt and pashmina products came in the third and fourth positions respectively.
According to FHAN, the US is the largest importer of Nepali handicrafts. The US is
the main market for Nepali silver handicrafts
with exports amounting to Rs 152.9 million last year.
Germany, China, Canada, the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, Japan, the UK, France, Italy and the Netherlands followed the US as the largest importers of Nepali handicrafts.
Executive director of FHAN Dilip Khanal attributed the growth in handicraft exports to a significant rise in demand for metal crafts from China. “Metal crafts, primarily images having an essence of Buddhism, are sought after in China,” said Khanal. “Had there been adequate publicity of the products in the international market, export earnings could have been higher,” he added.
FHAN president Bikash Ratna Dhakhwa said that demand for metal crafts and wood carvings has been rising in China. “The decline in exports to European countries like the UK, Germany, Italy and France was due to lack of publicity and recession in these markets.”
The Nepal Trade Integration Strategy 2010 has identified handicraft products like pashmina, woollen goods, silver jewellery and handmade paper among the 19 major exportable goods.
Posted on: 2011-08-30 08:59
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