KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 9
President Bidhya Devi Bhandari has emphasised the need to increase domestic products to ensure self-reliant economy. Time has come to promote production within country to reduce trade loss, she argued.
President Bhandari said so during a programme organised on the occasion of 19th handicrafts trade fair organised by the Nepal Handicrafts Federation here today. She reminded that handicrafts play an important role to build Nepal's identity and image in the international arena.
Production of goods with the utilisation of Nepali labour, skills and raw materials is essential to reduce trade deficit, President Bhandari said, expressing hope that the fair would help connect producers and consumers. Handicrafts could be promoted by reflecting community and cultural diversity. The government has given special priority to the production of domestic items, including handicrafts, the president added.
On the occasion, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Jivan Ram Shretha, also stressed the need for reducing trade deficit by promoting exports of Nepali handicrafts. A systematic programme can promote tourism via handicrafts, he said.
Similarly, Chief Minister of Bagmati Province, Rajendra Prasad Pande, applauded the role played by the Handicrafts Federation for the promotion of handicrafts. We need policy-level reforms on handicrafts, he suggested.
Federation Chairperson Prachanda Shakya informed that they had been organising the fair since long in order to promote Nepal's native entrepreneurship.
There are four pavilions and some 130 stalls in the fair.
Moreover, the 17th handicrafts competition is running side by side.
According to the federation, handicrafts worth Rs 12 billion are being exported to 60 countries in a year. Total annual transaction of the handicraft is some Rs 24 billion. Similarly, nearly 800,000 people are involved in this business.
A version of this article appears in the print on December 10, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
