47th IHGF Delhi fair concludes
The 47TH edition of IHGF Delhi Fair spring concluded on February 22, at India Expo Centre and Mart, Greater Noida with visit of 6737 volume buyers with serious business enquiries worth Rs 2900 crores.
On concluding day, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Centre for Handicrafts Export Management Studies – EPCH and Buying Agents Association for a Merchandising Management Course in Retail and Exports. The course will start from first week of April 2019 at five places at Delhi, Moradabad, Greater Noida, Jaipur, and Jodhpur.
"It is an initiative of EPCH to bring in the young generation and more and more to join Handicrafts business," informed O P Prahldka, Chairman – EPCH.
Rakesh Kumar, Director General – EPCH said that overseas buyers from 110 countries visited the show, but maximum buyers from USA [ 792 ), UK ( 312), Germany (193), France (215), Australia (217), Japan (165), Spain (138), to name a few, came to source their requirement from around 3200 Indian handicrafts exhibitors showcased 2000+ designs and styles of home, lifestyle, fashion, furniture and textiles under one roof at state-0f-the-art exhibition venue. Also, buyers from new countries like Albania, Togo, and Barbados have been added this year.
The major Indian Retail/online brands who have visited the show are Trendsbee, Nicobar, Gemporia, FabnRugs, Tommy HILFIGER, Sleepwell, Raymonds, Godrej, among others also visited for sourcing their requirement.
Talking about the role of the fair, Kumar stated: "This fair has always played a positive and important role in providing a world-class marketing platform to the exporters to showcase their creativity and Craftsmanship to the International buying community."
Revealing the statistics of foreign exchange and export business, he informed that with this fair, the foreign exchange through exports reached up to Rs 23,029.36 crores in 2017-18 – which was earlier only Rs. 387 crore in 1986-87. And within the span of 10 months itself, the numbers reached to Rs. 21,460.56 crores. It is suspected that with the present trend the handicrafts exports will surpass the target of Rs. 26,500 crores set for 2018-19.
The world largest congregation of Handicrafts producers, IHGF-Delhi Fair Spring 2019 witnessed various activities during five days extravaganza such as brainstorming seminars, fashion shows, awards distribution, visit of group
delegation from Japan, Philippines, Dubai, Australia, Tukey, France, Thailand, and the USA. Many
dignitaries from Government and State Government spared their time to visit and encourage the participants which included Ajay Kumar Tamta, Union Minister of State for Textiles; P P Chaudhary, Union Minister of State for
Law and Justice; Raghvendra Singh, Secretary Textiles; Shantmanu, Development; Ratnesh Kumar Jha, Additional Development Commissioner [Handicrafts], and other officials of State of Uttar Pradesh.
Ajay Shankar and P N Suri Memorial awards for best design and display stands were distributed on closing day. The Ajai Shankar Memorial Awards were instituted in the memory of the late former development Commissioner (Handicrafts) and P N Suri awards in the memory of the first Chairman of EPCH.
