NABARD to soon hold virtual expo to support Karnataka weavers

BENGALURU: To give a fillip to handloom products in both the domestic market and overseas, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) will, for the first time, organise a virtual global expo on August 15, especially targeting Kannadigas living in North America, said Neeraj Kumar Verma, Chief General Manager, NABARD, on Monday.

He told the media that the virtual expo is a crucial step to support weavers of Karnataka. “For us, weaving may be our culture, but for weavers, it is their livelihood. We want to take rural art to the global market, which is also the motto of the meet,” he said. The meet is a part of Handloom Week being observed across the country.

NABARD has partnered with the NGO Shreni Samudaya, a community network for sustainable livelihoods, for the event. Uma Bhathi, AGM, NABARD added that at the meet, weavers from Karnataka will set up stalls, one from each district, and will be given a platform to explain the products and make sales. A buyer-seller interactive meet will also be enabled. “Since this is the first year, we are focusing on dwellers in North America as they are very keen on the products here. The need for going virtual arose because of the pandemic, where everyone is online. So we decided to create a platform for weavers to come together and this is being done on a pilot basis,” she said. 

Uma added that many people are unaware that each district of Karnataka has a unique handloom item. Awareness will be raised through this event, and the artisans will also get a platform to cut through private competition. The Export Promotion Council of Handicrafts is also hosting similar events.