The artisans and crafts persons of Meghalaya hold immense potential for growth and the Centre will give full support to the sector through a number of schemes targeted for the North East, Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said.
It is very important that artisans get a fair value for their skills and the Meghalayan government has been playing an important role in promoting artisans by focussing on how to increase the value that artisans get, Goyal said inaugurating the Meghalayan Age Store in New Delhi on Thursday.
The Meghalayan Age Store will act as a platform for artisans and farmers of the State to reach out to the “upper echelons” of patrons in India and abroad, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said.
Varied products
The store hosts a variety of products, such as tools made of fallen wood and bamboo, stoles, scarves and other accessories made of Rydia silk, terracotta art, bamboo handicrafts and Larnai pottery. The store also markets indigenous agri-products of Meghalaya such as Lakadong turmeric, Wild forest honey And Sohiong jam.
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Meghalaya has some of the best artisans and farmers in the country but they have not been able to get the real worth of their efforts and ingenuity, Sangma pointed out.
“The Store will be a platform for the people of Meghalaya to showcase their products and talent at the nation’s capital to a niche consumer segment willing to pay a premium price,” he said.
Goyal appreciated the fact that the artisans and the State government had already paid attention to the designing, packaging and branding aspects and these would help in finding huge markets for the items not just in the country but across continents.
Chief Secretary of Meghalaya RV Suchiang pointed out that the artisans and farmers were given the necessary guidance and design inputs through the Ateliers Meghalaya Program.
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She thanked the Development Commissioner for Handicrafts for providing a space in the Rajiv Gandhi Handicrafts Bhavan at Connaught Place, a location that attracts localities and international tourists alike, for setting-up the Meghalayan Age Store.