Govt forms panel to hold feasibility study

KATHMANDU, JUN 08 -

The government has formed a three-member taskforce to conduct feasibility study for establishing handicraft village which is aimed at promoting handicraft products.

Led by joint secretary at the Secretariat of Council of Ministers, the taskforce includes representatives from the Ministry of Commerce and Supply and the Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The team has been asked to submit its report within the next three months.

The handicraft village will house cluster industries producing metal craft, handmade Nepali paper, woolen and silk carpets, gems and jewellery, gold and silver, woodcarving, paubha and modern paintings, pottery and ceramics, stone carving, pashmina and handloom products and garments made of natural fabrics, among others.

The Federation of Handicrafts Associations of Nepal (FHAN) President Bikash Ratna Dhakhwa said the village would help put in place the infrastructure required to promote handicrafts business.

“It will facilitate the production process as well as promote the handicrafts market,” said Dhakhwa. The government has committed to establish the village in the budget for the current fiscal year. “Handicraft village, commodity development centre, and cottage industry villages will be established in appropriate places to ensure and facilitate necessary supplies of materials for large industries,” states the budget.

FHAN will set up the village after the government makes land available.

Following the government’s decision, FHAN has started consultations with stakeholders. “We have started talks with women entrepreneurs and those involved in handicrafts business from rural areas,” said FHAN Director General Dilip Khanal.

Handicrafts hold a major share in the country’s exports. According to FHAN, Nepal exported the handicrafts worth Rs 2.96 billion in the first nine months of the current fiscal year.

Orientation on social networking

The Federation of Handicrafts Associations of Nepal (FHAN) on Thursday conducted an orientation programme to inform handicrafts producers about the uses of social networking websites. According to FHAN, the participants were provided information about using social networking sites, including Facebook, Openentry, Twitter and LinkedIn, to promote the market for their products, read a FHAN press release.

Source: The Kathmandu Post