BRAWFED to facilitate weaver-buyer interface at tiol Handloom Expo

From our Correspondent

KOKRAJHAR, December 14: The Bodoland Regiol Apex Weavers and Artisans Federation (BRAWFED) is going to organize tiol Handloom Expo, 2015-16 at Sudempuri, Jwhwlao Dwimalu Road, Kokrajhar town from December 15- January 4, 2016. The tiol handloom expo is sponsored by the Development Commissioner, Ministry of Textile, Government of India.

As part of the programme, the iugural session of tiol Handloom Expo ‘2015-16’, will be iugurated by Hagrama Mohilary, BTC chief on Tuesday evening. Rajya Sabha MP Biswajit Daimary, MLA Pramila Rani Brahma, will grace the occasion as guests of the day while Deben Boro, Executive Member, BTC for Handloom Textiles & Sericulture Department will grace the occasion as key guest. Dr. Anupam Kr. Roy, Principal Secretary, BTC, will be the special invitee while Sundarlal, Director of Weavers Service Centre, Khapara, Guwahati will be present the function as special guest. Hemen th, I/C Director, Handloom & Textiles Department, BTC will attend as invitees, Cheta Das and Assamese cine actress as a celebrity guest while Binod rzary, chairman of BRAWFED will preside over the iugural function. The representatives from the Ministry of Textiles will also visit the handloom expo during the period of the event, the organizers said.

Talking to media persons, the Maging Director of the BRAWFED NN Ra Patgiri said to make the event of Indian handloom colourful, on special evenings there would be cultural programmes, fashion show on handloom, musical nights, dance competition, quiz, semir / workshop and other events. He said as many as 72 stalls had been set up as maximum teams/entrepreneurs from across the country would be participating in the expo.

Patgiri said the tiol handloom expo 2015-16 was aimed to facilitate the consumers to purchase genuine handloom fabrics availing with discount to be offered by the potential productive primary, district level cooperative societies, corporation, federation Self-Help-Groups engaged in handloom product, NGOs fulfilling the norms laid down by CAPART, Weavers Entrepreneurs, Consortium Produces Companies & SPVs of Handloom Clusters from Assam with other participants from different parts of our country. He said the expo would also create awareness among the weavers and other about the present new economic scerio through exchange of views with buyers and customers held during the 21-day long programme.

The expo will provide opportunities to various agencies to exhibit and sell their products. The Maging Director said as the north-eastern region had a good market potential for handloom products which was yet to be fully exploited, from the indication available, the expo was expected to achieve a sale of Rs 200 lakh.  The Development Commissioner, Handlooms, Government of India, Ministry of Textiles has approved to sanction Rs 36 lakh in favour of BRAWFED, Kokrajhar to organize the expo in a befitting manner against a total budget expenditure for Rs 45 lakh. The remaining Rs 9 lakh will be met up from the share to be contributed by BRAWFED and stall rent to be paid by the participants.

A Customer Assistance Centre has also been set up in the ground office of the expo for market survey and alysis of demands, needs, and preference of buyers of North Bengal area through the tiol Handloom Expo. Through this expo, producers, buyers will be made aware of the use of Handloom Mark introduced by the office of the Development Commissioner, Handlooms, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India and buyers will be encouraged to focus on Make in India.

Patgiri said during last four years, BRAWFED, which is an Apex Level Co-operative Federation for Handloom and Handicrafts in Bodoland Territorial Council area, has been organizing such expos, craft bazars, thematic exhibitions, Gandhi Shilp Bazar, Handicraft Exhibition, district-level event on handloom in and outside the BTC area successfully and exploring marketing of hand-woven textiles and handicraft.