An Analysis on Problems and Prospects of Indian Handicraft Sector

The handicraft artisans of India, are known for their perfection of craftsmanship, excellence of design and form and an unsurpassed sense of colour. The craftsman's position in the pre-dominantly agricultural society is pivotal, for it make the village society self-contained. The sector provides employment to a vast segment of craft persons in rural and semi urban areas and generates substantial foreign exchange, while preserving its cultural heritage. The sector suffers for being unorganized, additional constraints of lack of education, low capital, poor exposure to new technologies, absence of market intelligence, and a poor institutional framework. Artisans are depending on the middlemen for raw materials, finance and market for finished products because of their illiteracy, ignorance and poverty. The success of handicrafts depends on how well the artisans can produce the articles in keeping with the tastes and preferences of consumers.