India's handicraft exports grow 10 pct in Apr-Dec

Country's handicraft exports grew 10 per cent to Rs 14,782 crore during the first nine months of this fiscal notwithstanding a slowdown globally, the Textile Ministry said today. In comparison, the handicraft shipments stood at Rs 13,460 crore during April-December 2014. "In dollar terms, the value of exports has increased by 3 per cent, from USD 2,215 million during April-December 2014 to USD 2,282 million during April-December 2015," an official statement said. The data showed the size of the artmetal wares grew 6 per cent to Rs 3,943 crore, followed by woodwares 10 per cent to Rs 2,564 crore, handprinted textiles & scarves 18 per cent to Rs 699 crore, imitation jewellery 14 per cent to Rs 1,599 crore and miscellaneous handicrafts 12 per cent to Rs 4,033 crore. Overall, during the April-December period of the current fiscal, exports in the segment dipped 18 per cent to USD 196.6 billion as compared to USD 239.9 billion in the same period of the previous fiscal, according to data released by the Commerce Ministry.