VIJAYAWADA: Union Railway Ministry’s initiative to introduce stalls of ‘One Station, One Product’ (OSOP) has given a fresh boost to local artisans. Currently, there are 37 stalls in the State in various cities, including Vijayawada, Nellore, Rajahmundry, Eluru, Ongole, Gudivada, Tirupati, Guntur, Guntakal.
‘One Station, One Product’ was launched to promote local/indigenous products by providing artisans and small businesses a market, and creating additional income opportunities for the marginalised sections of society.
Some of the products that are sold at these stalls include handlooms by local weavers, including Kalamkari sarees, jute products, imitation jewellery, wooden handicrafts, girijan products, local delicacies such as pickles, masala powder, papads, shell paintings and rice art.
SCR general manager Arun Kumar Jain expressed that the OSOP scheme gives a great opportunity to local artisans to showcase their products. He said railway stations are well-suited to promote indigenous products among travellers.
Under the jurisdiction of the South Central Railway (SCR), 72 railway stations have 77 outlets of ‘One Station One Product’ giving high visibility to local products in four states -- Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Around eight outlets in the State are dedicated to Kalamkari and other handloom sarees, and textiles, allowing local weavers to sell their products directly to the public instead of having to go through the hassle of retailers. These outlets also help in popularising the art of Kalamkari among the passengers arriving at the railway stations from different parts of the world.
Wood work crafts of Andhra Pradesh include various objects ranging from household items to dolls and other figurines. Nearly six outlets of OSOP have been set up for selling wooden handicrafts, including wooden cutlery and Etikoppaka toys.
Krishna Kumari runs an OSOP outlet for selling of eco-friendly jute bags at Guntur Railway Station. The entrepreneur explained, “Earlier, we used to struggle for a proper marketing platform. Now, on an average, my shop records a daily sale of `5,000 and `7,000 during festivals.”
“The hardwork that goes into making Kalamkari sarees used to go unnoticed. This has now changed as we are able to directly sell our products to the public. OSOP stall not only bring customers to us, but it also boosts our confidence to represent local products,” Kalamkari artisan who runs a stall at Gudivada Station C Kanakaratnam said.