European and U.S. economic woes lead Indian exporters to Chile in search of new markets.
Embroidered pashmina blankets, silk cushions from Jaipur and gilded silver jewelry boxes from Delhi were some of the products on display in the Chilean capital from Monday to Wednesday, as the Hotel Crown Plaza hosted an exhibition of Indian handcrafts.
“The wide and varied products come from the traditions, culture and religion passed down from generation to generation,” said officials from the Indian embassy in conjunction with the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts. “The products are steeped in traditional colors and motifs, but are contemporary in terms of use, presentation, design and quality,”
Javid Syed, owner of the Seven Springs export company from Kashmir said that he had come with the delegation of 34 small export companies as demand from Europe and the United States had plummeted since the global financial crisis.
“Ten years back my business was successful in the U.S. and Europe,” Syed told The Santiago Times, “but now half of the world is under the crunch of the economic crisis.”
Seven Springs exports a range of woolen products from the area renowned for its high quality cashmere wool. Syed said that this type of product was severely affected in times of economic uncertainty.
“People in the U.S. and Europe are worried about losing their jobs, they are worried about problems at home. I think because of that, this part of the world can really grow,” he said. “Before everyone’s eyes were over there, but it’s shifting now.”
The exporter said that if given appropriate management and promotion Chile could provide an attractive alternative market.
“I’ve heard about Chile, I’ve heard that Santiago has been described as one of the best cities in the world and the moment that I arrived in Chile I saw the surroundings,” he said, “beautiful, clean, peaceful, friendly people. So I saw that the development and stability that I had heard about was real.”
It was a sentiment shared by Bharat Kumar and Sendeep Jaggi, of Kriti Exports, whose Delhi-based companies exports, gilded silver jewelry boxes and furniture.
“It’s an unexplored market,” said Kumar, “it’s a new market for us and we expect a lot of growth here.”
Source : santiagotimes.cl