• Fifth edition of the traditional art and craft exhibition to be held at World Trade Centre, Mumbai, from September 27-29, 2019

MUMBAI, 19 SEPTEMBER, 2019 (GPN)   : In order to further strengthen its efforts to revive traditional Indian arts and crafts, Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) had launched a platform called Exim Bazaar, an Exhibition-cum-Sale of traditional & contemporary arts, crafts and textiles from across the country. The fifth edition of Exim Bazaar is scheduled from September 27-29, 2019, at the Expo Centre, World Trade Centre in Mumbai. The range of products that will be on offer during the three-days of Exim Bazaar will cover a wide range of high quality handcrafted products such as Dhokra crafts, Sanjhi paintings, Terracotta  items, Chennapatna toys, Phad & Pichwai paintings, appliqued & embroidered textiles & garments, jute bags & mats, Ikat textiles,  leather puppetry, Benarasi sarees,  Gond, Madhubani and Pattachitra paintings etc. Some of the artisans and weavers, who will be participating in the Exhibition-cum-Sale are national and state level awardees.

The Bank had organized earlier editions of Exim Bazaar in Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Kolkata where it had received good response from buyers and visitors. The main objective of organizing the Exhibition-cum-Sale is to boost business prospects for many individual artisans as well as micro & grassroots enterprises. Furthermore, this also helps the artisans to understand consumer preferences & behavior, develop new contacts, expand their ability to reach out to new buyers, improve industry knowledge and discover latest trends all under a single platform.

Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) has been actively supporting arts and crafts enterprises including grassroots units in remote pockets of the country, under its programme called GRID (Grassroots Initiatives for Development). Under this programme, the Bank assists and empowers artisans, master craftsmen, weavers, clusters, self-help groups, NGOs, grassroots and micro enterprises through capacity building by enabling their participation at trade fairs and exhibitions both in India and overseas.

The Bank, has been actively supporting artisans by way of capacity-building programs (training in modern designs and production techniques), setting up common facility centers for promoting operational efficiency, delayering of the sales channel by harnessing e-commerce technology, offering marketing support, etc. These activities are aimed at achieving higher value addition in widening the market reach (including providing access to international markets) for the products manufactured by such organisations,  thereby enabling the revival of the rich heritage of Indian arts, besides affording higher sustainable living standards, for the rural artisans.

The Bank’s assistance has enabled financial empowerment, employment generation and promotion of entrepreneurship among individual artisans. Participating at renowned exhibitions, craftmela and trade fairs has enabled artisans to reach out to new customers, generate spot sales, build their brand and secure corporate as well as export orders. The GRID initiatives of the Bank have together generated a significant positive impact on the livelihood of 35,000-40,000 artisans across the country. ENDS