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Reflecting the revival of pandemic-hit handloom sector, Kerala’s fabled hand-woven textiles in different hues are on display at the MSME-centric B2B meet-cum-expo Vyapar 2022 here, drawing the attention of buyers from across the country.
Back-to-back floods followed by Covid -induced shutdown and recession had dealt a massive blow to the handloom industry, which has been the mainstay of Kerala’s traditional sector.
As businesses resume, the private and co-operative handloom units across the state, workers and entrepreneurs expect boom in sales, energised by effective marketing strategies, digital marketing, and state support to meet the rising demand.
“Organising fairs like Vyapar 2022 will help the handloom industry scale new heights. Participating in the event is an educative experience for us, as business strategists and buyers gave us valuable tips on how to channelise our output to the outside markets by leveraging new methods like digital sale,” said an entrepreneur from Chennamangalam, one of Kerala’s storied handloom hubs.
Scaling up digital sales
Significantly, Vyapar 2022 sets a platform for promoters of traditional products like handloom textile to interact with executives from e-commerce majors like Amazon and Flipkart to scale up sales through digital route, said S Harikishore, Director, Industries & Commerce.
The proactive measures to promote handloom textile, launched by the Centre and the State Government have started yielding results as the demand for these products has now been on the upswing, said P C Mohanan, a handloom worker from Paravur.
Latching on to e-commerce platforms is critical for handloom sector to flourish as sales have largely shifted to online mode, said Sasi PK, a handloom worker.
Sajeev from Chennamangalam said, those who have leveraged the online medium are now getting orders overshooting their production capacity.
Over 300 sellers, drawn from diverse sectors and nearly 500 buyers from across the country are attending the three-day event organised by the Department of Industries and Commerce.
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