KATHMANDU: Handicraft Design and Development Center (HANDECEN) has revealed new designs and trends for the year 2010-11. The move is aimed at developing new markets for Nepali handicraft products. HANDECEN — an undertaking of Federation of Handicrafts Association of Nepal (FHAN) — along with the government completed its three projects on handmade paper, pashmina products and silver jewellery. The aim of the projects is to develop new technology and train new manpower in the handicraft sector.

FHAN vice-president Kiran Dangol said, “The government has granted Rs 1.5 million for the three projects. These projects are pashmina products design and development, silver jewellery development and marketing and Lokta paper (handmade)based product designing and development.” He added that the fund is coming from Micro Development Fund under the Ministry of Industries.

Amongst the three projects, pashmina products design development took six months to complete while it took three months for silver jewellery. Training in handmade paper product design was conducted for 40 days. According to Tara Adhikari, one of the handmade paper concept designers, there is a need to introduce new designs as the Nepali handicraft designs are getting repeated in the international market and there were no more choices available to the American and European importers. “So, to compete in the international market, we developed new designs and we hope that the new innovations will create new trends in the handicraft market,” said Adhikari.

About the five-year agreement signed between FHAN and the government in 2001 for the development of HANDECEN, Dangol said that though a MoU was signed regarding HANDECEN project operation five years ago, HANDECEN got merely operation costs from FHAN while the government granted only the programme costs. Under these conditions, FHAN pursued the establishment of HANDECEN and in 2004 the government expressed its commitment to support the establishment and operation of the centre through the budget. However, the five-year-old agreement needs to be revised by FHAN and HANDECEN.

Meanwhile, Nepal’s handicraft export has recorded dismal growth. The reason for which is attributed to marginal investment in design and product development.