VIJAYAWADA: Handlooms and handicrafts emerged as the biggest contributors to business at the National Saras Mela in Vijayawada, together accounting for 75 per cent of the total Rs 12.84 crore sales recorded at the exhibition. Handlooms alone generated Rs 6.35 crore, nearly half of the overall business, while live food stalls recorded the highest average sales per stall at Rs 3.57 lakh.
The mela also saw AP lead the State-wise sales chart, contributing Rs 2.99 crore, or nearly 23 per cent of the total. Uttar Pradesh followed with Rs 1.22 crore, while Rajasthan recorded Rs 78 lakh. West Bengal and Telangana registered Rs 74 lakh each, followed by Bihar at Rs 57 lakh.
Figures shared by the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) show that exhibition brought 571 stalls representing 32 States and Union Territories, with participation from over 250 districts. Sales rose from Rs 17 lakh on the opening day to a peak of Rs 1.38 crore on October 25. Average daily sales stood at around Rs 75 lakh.
More than 50 stalls crossed Rs 5 lakh in sales, while four recorded business exceeding Rs 10 lakh. AP’s Leela Krishna Handloom Society topped list with Rs 15.6 lakh, followed by Bihar’s Vaishnavi SHG at Rs 15 lakh and UP’s Sana Hathkargha SHG at Rs 12.6 lakh. Rajasthan’s Kabir SHG, selling through a live food stall, recorded Rs 11.3 lakh.
“The response to National SARAS Mela 2026 reflects the potential of rural women’s enterprises when they have access to wider markets. Self-Help Group members bring skill and strong community networks. Through DAY-NRLM, we aim to boost market linkages, capacity building and access to finance that allow these enterprises to grow, and to extend opportunities to more regions of country,” said Dr Molishree, Director, DAY-NRLM, MoRD.
“It’s fresh to see such exhibitions. We got to buy things that we don’t usually get in the city, and some of them even took me back to my roots,” said Julie, a Vijayawada resident.
