NEW DELHI: Export of handicrafts, which was battered in the first quarter of the fiscal due to the disruption caused by Covid-19, may see a revival now with a sudden spurt in orders from online sellers over the past three months, say exporters. And, this could last well beyond the festive season, they add.

 

“Due to the pandemic, online sellers have now started doing a lot of business. This is favouring handicraft exporters from India. Most of the online sellers have exhausted their stocks and are looking for new products. Therefore, there is a spurt in demand from such buyers since August this year and we are hopeful that this will continue in the months to come,” said Raj Kumar Malhotra, a Gurgaon-based exporter and Vice Chairman of the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) recently.

 

Exporters are now hopeful that over the next six months, they will be able to do increased business and catch up with last year’s exports of Rs. 25,470 crore. “Exports during Halloween were very encouraging and there is a good demand for Thanksgiving as well as Christmas,” said Rakesh Kumar, Executive Director, EPCH, adding that many buyers who used to source from China were also looking at new suppliers and it was a golden opportunity for Indian exporters.

 

Kumar, however, added that the government should actively resolve the shortage of shipping containers being faced by exporters as it had started affecting business.