Telangana women entrepreneurs focusing on handlooms
Telangana women entrepreneurs focusing on handlooms (Representational Image)
Hyderabad: The three emerging sectors of food processing, handloom & stitched apparel, and IT & ITes are significantly driving women-led entrepreneurship in Telangana, according to the 'Women-led Micro Entrepreneurship: An Analysis of Value Chains and Opportunities' report by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
The GIZ released the report as part of the project "Economic Empowerment of Women Entrepreneurs and Startups by Women (Her&Now)" in India. It is implementing the programme on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and in partnership with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Government of India. Project Her&Now is being run in Telangana in partnership with WE Hub.
The GIZ's report is to identify and capitalize on the key sectors involving the women-led micro-enterprises in various geographical areas of India, and the top interventions that may be introduced to support and/or catalyse women entrepreneurship ecosystem in these sectors and regions.
Based on the findings of the report, it has been observed that the three emerging sectors fueling women entrepreneurship in Telangana are handloom & stitched apparel, food processing and IT & ITeS.
Project Her&Now has supported several women entrepreneurs of the State from these 'emerging' sectors, through its flagship Entrepreneurship Support Programme.
Mudunuri Varalakshmi, a Her & Now entrepreneur and Founder of Fruitful (an enterprise that processes figs to produce and sell jams and desserts) said: "We have been facing problems in acquiring marketing connections, as supermarkets usually charge high commissions for rack space.
However, being a part of Her&Now enabled me to explore avenues for product diversification and implement the same into our business model, to facilitate wider outreach and business growth. After completing the programme, I am now able to think in different directions to improve my business."