Jharcraft (Jharkhand Silk Textile and Handicraft Development Corporation), a Jharkhand government enterprise, promoting tasar silk, is eyeing an export turnover of Rs 5 crore during the next financial year. This year, it exported goods worth Rs 1 crore.
“Last year, Jharcraft was able to export tasar silk worth Rs 1 crore by partnering Jaipur-based export house — Morarka Organic Food Private Limited. Now we plan to follow a similar model by roping in a few more export houses to take up marketing of tasar silk products abroad,” Dhirender Kumar, special secretary and director, handicrafts, silks and handlooms, Department of Industry, Jharkhand told Business Standard.
“Presently, we are in talks with eight Delhi-based export houses to take up marketing abroad. Ahuja Sons has come forward to work with us,” he added.
Jharcraft partners export houses through a memorandum of understanding (MoU), which are valid for three years. Export houses take up marketing of tasar silk sarees, stoles and ties in the US, Europe, Canada and West Asia.
Explaining as to how this partnership model works, Kumar said, “We fix the price of our products keeping in mind the input and labour costs. The exporter picks up our products by paying fixed price. This method is beneficial for us. For example, the price of silk stole is fixed at Rs 500 which for us will fetch only Rs 300 in the retail market.”
“This fixed price contract helps everyone especially during foreign exchange fluctuations and offers steady income right from the farmers to people involved like in cocoon rearing, spinning and weaving in getting better prices,” he added.
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Jharcraft has tie-up with the National Institute of Design (NID) and National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) to develop new designs and train cocoon rearers, spinners, weavers and their families.
To popularise tasar silk in the domestic market, it plans to set up more retail stores in southern states. For the first time, in association with the Central Silk Board, the corporation has set up a store ‘Vanya Silk Shopee’ in Bangalore.
Keeping the demand for tasar silk both in domestic and export market, the Central Silk Board has set a target to produce 425 tonne of tasar silk production annually during the 11th Five-Year Plan (2007-11) period. Jharkhand alone produced 143 tonnes in 2007-08 and will be touching 700 tonnes by 2011-12,” said H Hanumanthappa, chairman, Central Silk Board.