Jaipur/New Delhi 01st June 2023 – Dileep Baid, Vice-Chairman-EPCH has taken over the charge as new Chairman of Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) during 183rd meeting of Committee of Administration (CoA) held today at Jaipur. Baid has taken charge from Raj Kumar Malhotra. All the Members of Committee of Administration were present during the above meeting and congratulated Dileep Baid for assumption of Office of chairman EPCH.
Dileep Baid, representing M/s Dileep Trading Corporation, Jaipur is a leading handicrafts exporter from Northern region for over three decades. He is associated with Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) for a very long time as member of Committee of Administration – EPCH. He is one of the pioneers of the Handicraft sector. He has launched his own brand named “Ellementry”. He is very actively involved in various trade bodies like CII and represented several trade issues on various platform.
Dileep Baid expressed his gratitude to members of Committee of Administration of EPCH and members for their confidence in him. Baid interacted with press and media and shared his vision for Handicraft sector. He emphasised that handicraft sector needs emerging trends and design intervention in product development, packaging innovation, brand building, enhanced productivity, quality and standards, sustainable development, compliances so that products are competitive in global market.
Following on the Council’s mandate, Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) organised a Symposium on “Handicrafts Vision-2030” for member exporters which helped participants to understand the current landscape of the handicrafts sector, identifying challenges and opportunities for growth and innovation, exploring emerging trends and technologies relevant to handicrafts sector, develop strategies to improve market competitiveness, encourage sustainable practices & ethical production and establishing collaborative networking partnerships.
On the occasion Dileep Baid, Chairman EPCH; Raj Kumar Malhotra, Immediate Past Chairman – EPCH; Dr. Rakesh Kumar, Director General – EPCH; Other Members of Committee of Administration – EPCH; Tarun Tahiliani, Fashion Designer; T. K. Chakraborthy, Plant Head, M/s Saint Gobain Glass India; Puja Rautela, Director, M/s Flat World; Sunit Jain, President, FOHREX and leading exporters from Rajasthan were present. Further the symposium was also witnessed by member exporter from all over India virtually – informed by R. K. Verma Executive Director-EPCH.
Dileep Baid, Chairman EPCH informed that this event has brought all industry professionals under one roof to explore the future of design, adhere to compliances, and enhance manufacturing processes. By leveraging their expertise, we aim to stay ahead of trends, meet industry standards, and streamline operations for sustainable growth. He laid down goal for 2030 as “Teen Guna Tees Tak”.
Tarun Tahiliani, Fashion Designer shared Journey to Indian Modern Story and how the design got evolved in India over the years. The fusion of traditional and contemporary design, emphasis on artisanal skills, and digital transformation has shaped the journey of the sector and will continue to do in future as well.
T. K. Chakraborthy, Plant Head, M/s Saint Gobain Glass India in his presentation shared that in order to remain competitive and sustainable, handicraft businesses need to implement ways to reduce their costs through internationally practised theories like 3 M’s Kaizen, Poka Yoke, PDCA and many more such strategies.
Puja Rautela, Director, M/s Flat World said that in the handicraft sector, buying agents play a crucial role in connecting exporters, artisans and craftsmen with buyers from around the world. These intermediaries act as a bridge, facilitating the procurement of handicraft products and ensuring a smooth and efficient supply chain.
Dr. Rakesh Kumar, Director General – EPCH spoke about the journey of Handicraft over the last 35 years where we have reached and what needs to be done with new initiative to achieve growth in the years ahead. He further added that the symposium has provided a strong foundation for future collaborations, initiatives, and opportunities that will benefit exporters, artisans, craftsmen, and the entire handicraft industry.
Raj Kumar Malhotra, Immediate Past Chairman – EPCH said that exporters needs their businesses to be ready for Compliance, Inspection and Testing according to International Standards. He further spoke about Sustainability, China +1 strategy, design interventions, customer satisfaction and the opportunities for exporters in growing Indian retail and online segment.
Various questions pertaining Design, Cost Reduction and Marketing were asked by the participants. The speakers addressed all the questions and provided solutions to the exporters and concluded with positive interaction with members exporters.
Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts is a nodal agency for promotion of exports of handicrafts from the Country and create brand image of magic of the gifted hands of millions of artisans and craftspersons engaged in production of home, lifestyle, textiles, furniture and fashion jewellery & accessories products in different craft clusters of the Country. The Handicrafts exports during the year 2022-23 was Rs. 29426.38 Crores and US $ 3583.52 Million, informed R. K. Verma, Executive Director – EPCH.
