Handloom needs aggressive marketing: Tripura CM

A correspondent

Agartala, April 1: Chief Minister of Tripura Biplab Kumar Deb lamented over the ipt marketing of the handloom and handicrafts of Tripura that is standing in the way of fetching due price and in its expansion.

The handloom and handicrafts of Tripura are of intertiol standard and have huge demand in abroad as well as in other parts of the country.

Iugurating the tiol Handloom Expo, Deb asked the Handloom and Handicraft department officials to go for aggressive marketing of the products produced by local artisans. “Only sitting in the Purbasha show rooms are not enough. We need to reach out to the prospective buyers using different means,” the Chief Minister said.

Deb said around one lakh families are depending on this rural industry and it can go up to four lakh if proper marketing techniques are adopted and the artisans get proper remuneration. “The marketing people must have due training,” he said.

The Handloom and Handicrafts Corporation is the nodal agency in Tripura which collects the products from local artisans and is also responsible for their marketing through its Purbasha show rooms.

Chief Minister said: “Allegations galore that the sales executives in the show rooms are not enthusiastic to sell the products as it has no link with the salary and other facilities. If this is the approach, then we have to think of linking salary with their performance.” 

He expressed keenness about extending all kind of help to the artisans for producing quality products, including arranging bank loans. He urged the artisans to take the facilities of Mudra Bank Yoga introduced by the Centre.