December 19: Although some of the businesses affected by the Covid-19 pandemic have returned to normalcy, it’s not the case with the handicraft business. It seems that the export of handicraft products, which reached more than Rs 5.37 billion in the fiscal year 2075/76, decreased by about Rs 1 billion in the last fiscal year. Handicraft products worth more than Rs 4.40 billion were exported in the year 2078/79.

Handicraft businessmen say that exports have been adversely affected as the Covid-19 put the economy of most of the countries in the world in a difficult situation. According to the Federation of Handicraft Association of Nepal, even though exports are improving after Covid-19, the pace is very slow.

Handicraft goods from Nepal are mainly exported to the USA, China, Australia, the UK, Canada, India, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, Singapore and other countries. China is also the main market for non-textile handicraft.

Naveen Shakya, vice president of the federation said, “The Chinese market has not opened well. The rest of the market is also sluggish. That's why exports could not increase.” According to him, the government policy also hindered exports and that the government should introduce a policy of giving handicraft products special exemptions.

Businessmen also complain about the problem of availability of raw materials needed for handicraft. They complain that they have to face many difficulties in getting raw materials such as stone, soil, wood etc. which are to be found in Nepal. Another vice-president of the federation, Kiran Kumar Sthapit, complains that certain stones and wood used to prepare the handicraft materials are not found in Nepal and have to be brought from abroad.

Businessmen involved in the handicraft business say that due to the lack of skillful craftsmen in this sector, they are not able to produce enough products as required by the customers. They suggest that the government should increase investment in the production of manpower required for this sector, which has great potential.

Government officials argue that there is no shortage of training from the state. Bishnu Prasad Bhusal, executive officer of Micro, Cottage and Small Industries Promotion Center, said that the government conducts separate training for handicraft entrepreneurs and craftsmen.

Bhusal said, “There is no lack of training from the government. We are providing training to 12,200 people in the current fiscal year 2079/80. There may be some problems in taking loans due to the economic crisis seen now, but everything will be resolved once the economic situation becomes easier.”

Bhusal also claims that there is no problem in the availability of raw materials in Nepal. He said that some businessmen come to the center with such problems and the center coordinates them.