BHUBANESWAR: The famous applique work of Pipli is on road to establish itself as a global brand with footprints across the country and abroad. The work processes going into the unique textiles craftwork ethnic to Pipli and adjoining areas are set to move out of the scattered and unorganised sector to a structure adopting modern means for enhancement of product quality and greater acceptability in the national and international markets.
With the Textile Committee of the Union Ministry of Textiles extending handholding support post-registration of the Pipli Applique work under Geographical Indication Act, 1999 (GI), the manufacturers and artisans are ready to form a Consortium marking transformation into a Corporate entity. As many as 15 Cooperative Societies and two self-help groups (SHGs) have come under one umbrella to unify their processes and build a common brand image. The Consortium would be registered under the Companies Act with shareholding of each member and organisation.
The major advantage of the initiative would be the backward and forward market linkage assistance offered by the Textiles Committee for development and brand promotion of the traditional craft. The Committee has prioritised provision of quality fabrics and raw materials to the artisans at their doorsteps along with design development in tune with contemporary tastes and preferences under backward integration market linkage.
The forward market linkage would involve setting up a common activity centre for product development and promotion. While new and innovative products would be designed, catalogues and e-marketing tools like dedicated portals with payment gateways would be facilitated.
The organisations are drawn from the applique craft zones of Puri and Khurda districts. There are about 15,000 artisans engaged in the craft. “It is envisaged that capacity building, skill upgradation of artisans combined with quality and products, the demand for applique work of Pipli would go up substantially. We have to equip them with the capabilities to handle bulk orders to which the unified structure is the solution,” Director (Market Research) of the Textiles Committee PK Nayak said today.
The Committee has approached the Union Textiles Ministry and DFID, UNCTAD, which is sponsoring the project “Strategies and Preparedness for Trade and Globalisation in India for the Post GI interventions in Pipli applique work, Nayak said.
The Committee is hosting a two-day capacity building workshop for artisans in the city.