Under the special directives of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz to protect traditional handicraft and cottage industries across the country, the concerned department has sent a proposal to Islamabad for starting one-village one-product programme, with the name of 'Aik Hunar Aik Nagar' (AHAN)
Officials in labour department told Business Recorder here on Tuesday that different regions in the country were very famous for their handicrafts and cottage industry with a minor treatment would be able to generate decent revenue and employment as well, hence, programme had been designed with the aim to promote rural residents and their products in domestic and export markets.
They said that handicraft and cottage industry was an important instrument in diversification of rural income and employment opportunities and apprised that only 0.6 percent of total employed workforce was engaged in this sector. The expansion of both industries are interconnected with quality control, standards and certainly aggressive marketing both in the domestic and international market, however, immense number of handicrafts produced in country are easily characterised as substandard products, they said.
They urged that location and craft-specific interventions were needed for quality, skill upgradation, standards and better access to markets besides rationalising the role of 'middle man' in exports. These industries can be only profitable if concerned department conduct a survey to check the actual demand in international and domestic markets as per region.
They further said that government should build vocational, technical and commercial competence at local level for each of the identified product, which would be helpful to expand these industries in a specific direction and train skilled workers in line with international and domestic demands and trends.
They informed that this proposed plan had been adopted from Japan, who had been developed and launched it in 1979 to boost village economies by creating employment opportunities and raising income levels and added that it was subsequently replicated in Thailand and the exports of local products increased tremendously. Craftsmen have been deprived of their vocation for many years compelling them to switch over to other field and leave their ancestral profession. In the absence of any incentive it has become very difficult for them to earn bread and butter for their family, they concluded.