15-day handloom expo begins in Vijayawada

Vijayawada: A 15-day National Handloom Exhibition organised by the Department of Handlooms and Textiles was inaugurated by Zilla Parishad chairperson Gadde Anuradha at A-Plus Convention Centre here on Thursday. 

Over 90 stalls were arranged. Weavers and organisations from handloom clusters from across the country are taking part in the expo, which would conclude on December 5.

Addressing the media at the inaugural programme, Gadde Anuradha said that the expo was aimed to benefit the handicraft and handloom manufacturers and create awareness on handloom products. 

She further stressed the need to encourage handicraft and handloom products. The products made by hand depict dignity and everybody should contribute towards the industry by buying handmade goods, she said.

National Handloom Textiles joint director M Nageswara Rao said that the main aim of organising the handloom expo was to create a platform for weavers and workers to market their produce. 

Manufacturers across the country would bring their products under one roof for the customers to choose their choice of product. Latest designer wear, woven on advanced handloom products from various places will be available for the buyers in this expo, said the joint director.

Speaking to ‘The Hans India’, N Shankar, a weaver from Sirkakulam expressed his gratitude to the government for organising expos which would create a platform to sell their products and also meet people of the same field from across the country. He said that if the government organises these kind of expos, they would be benefited a lot, he added.

B Lakshmi, a retired employee and a customer said that she prefers to buy sarees at such expos as she has the choice to select from a wide range of varieties at affordable price when compared to the local showrooms and thanked the organises for organising the exhibition. 

Handloom products like carpets, decoratives, and sarees made at Uppada, Banarus, Venkatagiri, Madhavaram, Dharmavaram, Pochampalli, Gadval, sarees besides Punjabi dress material, Ponduru cotton furnishing, lungis, panchas, bed sheets and various handloom products from Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and other places are available at the expo.