VIJAYAWADA: The National Handloom Exhibition-2018 will be held on Satavahana Degree College premises from March 22 to April 4. This was formally announced here on Wednesday at a press conference by Society For Weavers’ Welfare in AP (SWWAP).
Srikanth Prabhakar, SWWAP’s additional director, unveiled a poster on the occasion along with Weavers Society Centre Deputy Director K Ravindra.
The fair will be inaugurated by K Atchannaidu, Minister for BC Welfare and Handlooms and Textiles, at 5 pm on Thursday.
“The expo is not only to promote sales of handloom products, but also to create awareness among the public about the uniqueness of such products that will be displayed by weavers from other states,” Srikanth said.
“In the present day scenario, the handloom sector in AP is finding difficulty to compete with power looms and produce quality products with novel designs.”
Handloom weavers from about 100 cooperative societies will be showcasing their products and sales amounting to `5 crore is expected at the event.
Traditional pochampally, venkatagiri and mangalgiri sarees, home furnishing materials from Haryana and Punjab, Jaipur printed sarees and bedsheets, Chikan embroidery sarees and Banarasi silk sarees from Uttar Pradesh, Chanderi sarees, Mysore silk, shawls, towels, blankets and door mats will be kept on display at the expo, he added. The exhibition will be open to the public between 11 am and 9 pm.