53rd IHGF Delhi Fair to start from March 30

The much-awaited 53rd edition of one of the world's largest handicrafts fairs i.e. IHGF-Delhi fair will be held in full glory after a gap of two and a half years, owing to pandemic. All stakeholders – participants and visitors have been eagerly waiting to resume and expand business through this mega sourcing platform. The fair is open to overseas buyers, buying and sourcing professionals as well as large domestic volume retail buyers from 30th March to 3rd April, 2022 at India Expo Centre & Mart, Greater Noida.

The five-day fair brings home, lifestyle, fashion, textiles and furniture products by 2500+ handicrafts exporters from across the country, informed Raj Kumar Malhotra, Chairman, EPCH. He further said, the fair is one of its kind and this edition will have a wide-ranging selection of 2000+ new products and 300+ design expressions spanning across 14 product categories such as houseware, home furnishing, furniture, gifts and decoratives, lamps and lighting, Christmas & festive décor, fashion jewellery & accessories, spa & wellness, carpets and rugs, bathroom accessories, garden accessories, educational toys & games, handmade paper products & stationery and leather bags. The exhibition will have an emphatic representation of craft manufacturing hubs and clusters, at the India Expo Centre Halls and 900 permanent showrooms in the Mart area, making this a comprehensive sourcing destination.

After the success of the 52nd edition of the IHGF Delhi Fair which was held in physical mode after three consecutive virtual shows, the 53rd edition in its full glory with over 2500 exhibitors from all across the country will begin on March 30, 2022 at the India Expo Centre & Mart, Greater Noida, Delhi NCR, said Dr. Rakesh Kumar, Director General, EPCH. Calling India very safe to visit, he welcomed the Indian Govt.'s lifting of the international travel ban and resumption of regular International flights from 27th March 2022, which eases buyers' transit. He added that Theme Pavilions depicting crafts from North Eastern Region, Ladakh, J&K and Rajasthan will be among the attractions for the visiting overseas buying community. Dr. Kumar further informed that EPCH is organising this fair with all necessary safety protocols and SOPs for organising B2B trade expositions issued by Govt. of India.

The visitors' profile to the show includes overseas buyers from across the globe comprising wholesalers, distributors, chain stores, departmental stores, retailers, mail-order companies, brand owners, buying houses and designers and trend forecasters.

Overseas buyers from over 90 countries have pre-registered to visit the fair.

Knowledge seminars with expert faculty from India and overseas will be on various topical issues of trade importance like Cross Border B2B e-Commerce, Trends & Forecast, Curating, Techniques to save Money Remittances, etc. Ramp Presentations too will be part of the five days show.

Raj Kumar Malhotra, Chairman, EPCH, informed, in order to give wide publicity, the Council has undertaken extensive promotion and publicity campaigns all across the globe through digital advertisements in International magazines, their digital publications, online portals, web banners etc. Further, Indian Embassies extended invitations to buyers and importers in their respective countries. The fair has been widely covered in digital publications and social media.

The 15th edition of IFJAS'2022 will be co-located and held concurrently. This is the Indian Fashion Jewellery & Accessories Show, also organized by EPCH which would showcase fashion jewellery & accessories.

Dr. Rakesh Kumar, Director General, EPCH, informed that it is noteworthy that against all odds, the handicrafts sector has sustained manufacturing and exports, through the pandemic. The continued virtual trade shows to keep engaged with buyers and the first post-pandemic physical show – the 52nd IHGF Delhi Fair-Autumn 2021, have contributed to the sector achieving estimated exports of Rs. 29626.96 Crores (US $ 3981.72 Million) during eleven months (April-February) of 2021-22, which is significantly higher than the exports during April-March 2020-21 which stood at Rs. 25679.98 (US $ 3459.75 Million).