HYDERABAD: The ‘Handicrafts and Bangles Expo 2024’, organized by Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), was inaugurated here on Saturday at Dolmen Banquet Hall in Latifabad.Addressing the inaugural ceremony Brig Noman Arif, Station Commander Hyderabad, observed that the colours of culture had been put to display in an awesome way at the expo.
He said he visited all the stalls and found the handicrafts and other beautiful productions reflecting admirable artisanship.He said it was a small initiative of TDAP to provide a platform to the artisans from different parts of Sindh to display their handicrafts and bangles.Brig Arif noted that the platform which had been provided by the TDAP was a big opportunity for the artisans as they were not only showcasing their creations but they were also learning things from each other.
He said the cultural handicrafts also reconnected the people with their culture.”Our culture is very rich which needs to be given a touch of innovation keeping in view the modern re
quirements,” he added.Director General TDAP Abdul Kareem Baloch informed that the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) and Pakistan government were partners of the authority in the initiative of supporting artisans to become entrepreneurs.
He said instead of distributing charity people should be motivated to start small businesses.According to him, the artisans who had been living below the poverty line were facing 3 types of obstacles on the way of creating products and marketing them subsequently.
The first problem was arranging finances for which TDAP and the Pakistan government were offering grants to women belonging to families living below the poverty line, he said, adding that between Rs60,000 to Rs30 million financing was being offered.He told that the second problem was a lack of training to bring their skills at par with the present day requirements.
Baloch said TDAP in that regard was offering skill enhancement training to the artisans.Another support initiative, according to him, is to orga
nize detached artisans in larger groups so that they could deliver orders which TDAP secures from the foreign countries.
More than 50 stalls displayed a range of handicrafts and bangles at the event.These included block printed Ajrak; khaadi and lawn fabrics; embroidery and applique; handmade footwear; sussi and lungi fabrics; blue pottery; handmade boski fabric of Hala; hand carved furniture; artificial jewelry and glass bangles of Hyderabad; organic beauty products and cosmetics.The event’s publicity was also made in Hyderabad to attract visitors. Commissioner Hyderabad Ahsan Ali Qureshi and other officials also expressed their views on the occasion.