Export earnings from handicrafts witness uptrend during July-April

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DHAKA, May 11, 2019 (BSS) – The export earnings from handicrafts witnessed
uptrend during the July-April period of the current fiscal year totaling
$17.16 million which is 21.88 percent higher than the same period of the
previous fiscal year.

The 10-month export earnings from handicrafts were also 16.5 percent
higher than the strategic target of $14.73 million.

Industry insiders said there are huge potentials of handicrafts in the
country as skilled workforce is available here with low fund. For this, a
huge quantity of handicraft products are being exported abroad every year
after meeting the local demand and thus new entrepreneurs are being created
in the country.

According to the data of the Bangladesh Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), the
export earnings from handicrafts during the July-April period of the last
fiscal year notched $14.08 million while the handicrafts export during the
last fiscal year totaled $16.69 million.

But, the 10-month export earnings in this fiscal year already totaled $
17.16 million which is a sign of higher growth rate in handicrafts, said
owners of the handicraft industries.

As per Bangladesh Handicrafts Manufacturers and Exporters Association,
this industry also has a domestic market size of Taka 7,000 crore having a
wide range of products like satranjis, baskets of various sizes, paposh,
candles, nakshikantha, birds cage, various items made from bamboo, boxes made
of leather and belts.

Talking to the BSS, Banglacraft President and also the managing director
of Nipun Crafts Limited Ashrafur Rahman said that the demand of handicrafts
has increased a lot over the years both at home and abroad.

“But, we’re yet to capitalize fully the immense potentials that the
handicrafts offer us because there is no central exposition center of such
products in the country to attract the foreign buyers,” he said suggesting
the government to take strong steps to resolve this problems.

Ashrafur said countries like China, Vietnam and Thailand are known
worldwide as the producers of handicraft products and now they are going for
hi-tech industries.

“As a result, Bangladesh has a good opportunity to strengthen its position
in the global market. Earlier, such buyers didn’t come to Bangladesh, but now
they are coming to Bangladesh.”

According to the data of Banglacraft, local handicraft products are
exported to some 50 countries where the North American, European and Middle
Eastern countries are the main markets of Bangladeshi handicraft products.