Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) Sub-Regional office Hyderabad organized a seminar on export potential of handicrafts at Hotel Indus Hyderabad for product development and value addition in it to make handicrafts more competitive and exportable.
The target audiences for the seminar were almost 150 artisans of Handicrafts, organizations like Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HCCI), Hyderabad Chamber of Small Traders and Small Industry, ThardeepThar Rural Development Programme (TRDP), Aik Hunar Aik Nagar (AHAN), save the Chidren Sanghar, Sindh ideology Department of University of Sindh Jamshoro and other Individual Scholars of Handicrafts who have studied from reputable foreign Universities of UK & USA-participated in the seminar. Furthermore, the artisans displayed/showcased their handicraft products on stalls freely provided by TDAP, Hyderabad at Hotel Indus. Abdul Karim Memon Director TDAP, Karachi put light on the development and value addition in Handicraft products to make these products more competitive in the Import markets of the world.
Ms Bhagwani Rathore, who holds Masters from a reputable university of USA and had a project on Handicrafts, shared her experience and knowledge about marketing tact and access to international Import markets for handicrafts.
Abdul Waheed Jatoi of Sindh ideology Department, University of Sindh Jamshoro spoke on the Strength of Art and Crafts and history of handicrafts. The Vice President of HCCI Ziauddin highlighted the existing exportable potential of Handicrafts especially of bangle industry of Hyderabad which needs revamp.
Jaffer Abbasi an exporter of Handicrafts spoke on the process of how to become a registered exporter and earn foreign exchange instead of selling handicrafts locally. Ms Shazia Mallah Manager AHAN stressed on the continuous collaboration among the stake holders of Handicrafts to achieve the desired the results.
The Chief Guest Allah Nawaz Samoo (the C.E.O, Thardeep Rural Development Program TRDP) thanked and appreciated the efforts of the Officers of TDAP Hyderabad for arranging such seminar.
He concluded the discussion as "the seminar was very productive and useful in which enthusiastic participants generated quality discussion to meet ends of making handicrafts the most exportable products of Pakistan. He also offered a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (HCCI) and Thar Rural Development Programme (TRDP) under the policy guidance from Trade Development Authority of Pakistan for the period of ten years to establish a vocational and training institute for the artisans of Sindh at Hyderabad besides establishing a Display Centre.
He also suggested that similar seminars may also be arranged for other products at other local stations/places of Rural Sindh. In this way, the seminar on Export Potential of Handicrafts reached its logical conclusion on a positive note.-PR