Smriti Irani inaugurates Jute Expo in city, says export of products has witnessed 24% hike since 2014

Kolkata: The export of jute products and its diversified items has gone up by 24 percent in the last five years, said Union minister for Textile Smriti Zubin Irani.

She was addressing a gathering after formally inaugurating the "Artisan Speak and Jute Expo" at the recently restored heritage currency building in the city. It is an outreach initiative of the Union ministry, which will be held here from January 7-10.

"We have seen a growth of 24 percent in exports of jute products and diversified products in the last five years. Today we also celebrate the legacy of jute in the country," Irani said.

It may be mentioned here that delegates from around 14 nations and over 70 buyers are participating in the four-day programme. The Textile industry is the second largest employment sector in India, following the agriculture sector.

The sector comprises various fields like cotton, jute, silk, wool, man-made fibres, powerlooms and handicrafts.

The event mainly aims at promoting Indian handlooms, handicrafts, silk and jute and providing a platform for marketing and business linkages with both international and domestic buyers.

The organisers believe that it will open new opportunities for artisans to exhibit their products. The theme pavilion has an impressive display of handloom products developed by the weavers, along with live demonstrations of exclusive weaves.

One of the main objectives of the programme is to create awareness about the textile industry by inviting international buyers, agents and other marketing organizations, apart from establishing Business to Business (B2B) connects. This also gives a platform for viable marketing to improve exports and domestic presence.

Secretary of Ministry of Textiles Raghvendra Singh, who was also present in the programme, said the ministry has been trying to find ways and means to enhance the income of weavers and also to connect them with garment manufacturers to increase their margins. The ministry is also supporting weavers and craftsmen in 40 districts of India, Singh added.

The event will also showcase textile expositions by many renowned fashion designers from India and NIFT. The expositions will promote Indian jute, silk, handloom and handicrafts.

The visitors can choose from a mix of handloom, handicraft, silk and jute products and learn about GI tagging of Baluchari, the pride of the Bengal heritage in the iconic old currency building.