QUETTA:Chairman Pakistan Businesses Forum (PBF) Balochistan Chapter Engineer Daroo Khan Achakzai on Saturday said the neglected sector of handicrafts deserved the government’s support.
Talking to a delegation of Chaman Chamber of Commerce and Industry who called on him at his office, he said locally made handicrafts were in great demand in the international market, which could help improve the lives of many rural people.
Engr Daroo Achakzai said since the handicrafts sector was directly linked with the skilled women, its promotion would result in poverty reduction and women empowerment.
Achakzai said the handicrafts were once a major source of livelihood for millions of people but the rising cost of inputs, difficult access to credit and poor marketing network, had brought the industry to its knees.
“Low prices, lack of proper marketing, want of exhibition centers, discouraging behaviour of the bureaucracy, and the rising costs of business were some reasons behind its decline, ” he added.
He said millions of people were working in the sector but it was not organized and continued to suffer due to the negligence of the authorities.
Besides, the abusive techniques by the “middlemen” were also discouraging the artisans, he said, adding that promotion of the handicraft sector would not only improve the standard of living of millions but also reduce the pace of migration.
The sector could get a boost if the Chinese were invited to join hands with locals to capture a large share in the international market, he suggested. In this regard the provincial government may facilitate PBF in order to tap the best artwork of the province.