With the on-going global pandemic bringing carpet exports to a halt and organising exhibitions and fairs becoming a near impossibility, exporters are trying to step into the previously uncharted territory of virtual fairs to gain back business. The attempt would be to create the same physical experience for foreign buyers and buying agents for the sourcing that they are used to, exporters say.

“Because of the pandemic, we cannot allow business to stop. There is no alternative other than making a success of a virtual fair as we cannot physically organise the bi-annual exhibition that our foreign buyers are so used to attending to place their orders,” Sanjay Kumar, Executive Director, Carpet Export Promotion Council, told BusinessLine .

Carpet exports from India were valued at about ₹12,000 crore in 2019-20, but in the current fiscal, because of the lockdown, outbound shipments could decline significantly. This would not only serve a blow to over 25,000 businesses engaged in this sector but also affect the livelihoods of an estimated 20 lakh workers and artisans.

“Carpet exports have come to a standstill since the lockdown was implemented from March 25. There has been large-scale cancellation of orders from our major markets in the EU and the US. By organising a successful virtual fair, we can try to get back business, pointed out Siddh Nath Singh, a UP-based exporter and Chairman of CEPC.

Singh expressed hope that with meticulous planning the virtual exhibition could be a big success as the only thing missing would be the touch and feel of the product which is important to determine quality. However, the problem could be resolved by sending the sample to the buyer before finalising the order.

On the bright side, Singh expects more than the 400 usual foreign buyers who visit the CEPC bi-annual exhibition regularly, will participate in the virtual fair. “Since buyers need not travel physically to reach the fair, the number of participants may be much more than what we have in our physical fairs. It could be close to 700-800,” he said.

Positive response

A video conference was organised by CEPC on Tuesday to get the views of buyers and buying agents on the virtual conference. “We got a positive response and hope to hold the exhibition sometime in August or September,” Singh said. By that time, exporters hope, the associated problems being faced by carpet units with the partial lifting of the lockdown would be sorted out.

Sellers from all major carpet producing areas like Bhadohi, Mirzapur, Varanasi, Agra, Jaipur, Panipat and Srinagar are expected to participate in the exhibition.