The 2007 edition of the Hong Kong Houseware Fair of was held between 21st April  and 24th April, 2007 at Hong Kong and the Shri T.N. Subramanian, Business Promotion Officer, was deputed along with Shri R Sampathkumar of HEPC to co-ordinate the participation of the members of the Council in the Fair.

A total of 21 members of the Council participated in the Fair besides HEPC. The Fair was inaugurated on the 21st of April, 2007. There was not much crowd on that day. However the second and the third days saw considerable crowds and our members had a lot of enquiries and also had spot orders. On the fourth and last day of the Fair, though the crowds were less, there were a number of buyers at our members’ stalls and a few spot orders were also booked. According to statistics released by the Fair authorities, the Fair saw an increase of 2% in foreign buyers over last year. Our members have reported 1,10,20,000 US $ worth of enquiries and 12,46,925 US $ worth of spot orders at the Fair.

All the members have rated their preparation for the Fair as either very good or good. All of them, except a couple, have reported that the buyer turnout was either very good or good. Likewise, the quality of the buyers was also found to be either very good or good by all the members, except a couple. To the query whether they would participate in the Fair next year or not and if participating, whether they would do so through HEPC or otherwise, all of them except two, have emphatically answered that they will participate next year also and that it will be through HEPC.

Heimtextil’08  one of the biggest International trade fairs for home and contract hometextiles was held at Frankfurt , Germany during 9-12th January’08.  42 Kilometers- this  was the  approximate distance – which almost qualifies as a marathon route – the visitors had to walk in order to make a complete tour around the exhibition centers to see all the exhibitors and events . This is one of the one of the aspects with which one can capture the dimension and relevance of this event for the home textile industry

Council took part in this event by taking a total area of 134 sq.mtrs and accommodating the following member exporters.  

• M/s. Marvel Exports, Bhubaneswar
• M/s. Seer (India), New Delhi
• M/s. Shyamali Exports, Chennai
• M/s.Ess Kay Enterprises, Panipat
• M/s.Shri Krishna Home Furnishing, Panipat
• M/s. Handfab Home, Panipat

Besides Council had also put up a central promotion stall of 18 sq.mtrs  promoting the Indian handwoven textile with product clippings showcasing the  handloom industry’s dominant presence in a vast portfolio of product segments   such as Table Linen, Kitchen Linen, Bed linen , Furnishings , cushion covers and floor coverings etc.,  The opportunity was also best utilized to publicize the brand image of the handwoven products  bearing the  “Handloom mark” label and its uniqueness.

 During the event , the following dignitaries visited the event .

• Shri.E.V.K.S.Elangovan, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Textiles, Govt. of India
• Shri.B.K.Sinha,, Development Commissioner (Handlooms ) , Ministry of Textiles, Govt. of India

The dignitaries  took the opportunity to interact with  the exporters and have an overview on  the performance of the event. Shri Ajithkumar, Consul General of India in Germany  accompanied  the above dignitaries
 
Out of 6 exhibitors who had participated under HEPC umbrella, 5 were positioned in Hall 6.3 and the remaining one in hall 10.0. Floor coverings had a major share of the product composition exhibited by member exporters  who participated under HEPC . As per the feedback given by the above exhibitors,   a total of about 195 visitors visited the stalls of  our member exhibitors and  business enquiries worth about Rs.3 Crores were generated  during the event and  spot orders worth Rs.25 lakhs were booked

Assesment about the fair :

•  As per the un audited statement available , the  total number  of exhibitors  has come down . Further , the number of exhibitors in India also has come down from 404  in 2007 to 365  in 2008 – probably a  wake up  call for the industry.  Against this trend , it is interesting to note that the number of  Chinese/Hong kong exhibitors  has gone up from 302 ( in 2007) to 347 ( in 2008) with Pakistan almost maintaining the same level of 165 exhibitors ( in 2007)  & 162 ( in 2008).
  
  

Participation of Indian companies according to the product segments

S.No.	Product segment	No. of  participants
1	Bath	98
2	Contract creations	11
3	Design	5
4	Floor	78
5	Sun & Shadow	14
6	Technics	15
7	Wall	5
8	Bed	189
9	Contract vision	10
10	Fibres , yarns , fabrics , chemicals	12
11	Table	154
12	Upholstery	181
13	Window	205

Indian Exhibitors according to Hall Presence

S.No.	Hall	No. of  participants
1	1.1	2
2	6.0	53
3	6.1	51
4	6.2	76
5	6.3	55
6	9	1
7	10	67
8	10.1	41
9	10.2	17

The views expressed by our member participants  and other exhibitors from India are as given below.

• Out of a  few halls which have relevance to our products , Hall 10 attracted more visitors than Hall 6 , hence , it is preferable  to have location  in Hall 10 in future
• Excepting renewal of  already established contacts, not many new contacts were established during the event , hence , not serving the purpose of participation at the prevailing  extraordinary stand cost.
• Under the circumstances , it is futile to participate  in this event if the participation doesn’t fetch a minimum spot order business worth Rs.1crore in order to meet the higher participation cost
• Erosion of margin due to Rupee appreciation against dollar and slowing down of US economy ( one of the major importing countries) had its  adverse impact on  striking  business deals and  paved the way for  our neighbours namely  Bangladesh & Pakistan to have an upper hand in negotiating the price  of the product and ultimately striking a business deal . Hence , it is apparent that we are losing to our neighbors  pushing ourselves to a situation similar to quota regime
• One solace is the appreciation of Chinese product price by about 15% due to various internal factors like withdrawal of subsidy etc.,  It was understood that this  upward trend in the pricing of Chinese products is  likely to be there for this year.

During the visit of dignitaries it has been brought to their notice by many participants that the stand cost charged by Messe Frankfurt India is exorbitantly high ( almost three times that of Messe Frankfurt , Germany ) inviting heavy investment. In terms of the outcome of the event the fair has been showing a declining trend year by year as could be seen from the decrease in number of participants & visitors. Infact, the number of exhibitors through HEPC has also come down from 22 ( in 2007) to 6 ( in 2008) . As long as the fair enjoys the label of premium event, there may be justification for the higher participation cost. When it is not so, atleast the cost of exhibiting has to be brought down to be on par with any other similar events happening across the globe, make it affordable and to enthuse the exhibitors to participate.


Trends 2008-09

As per the trend projection given at the trend forum at Heimtextil the following information is furnished for the industry in general .

It’s only now that the new millennium is beginning to take shape in our hearts and heads and we recognize that it’s time for change . What is projected is a new perspective, a new concept , a new attitude . Therefore we need to look for the future rather than referencing the past
( as it is  the case with many  design developments )
Colors :

• Cool, pastel plain colors together with a shiny accent colors 
• Colors inspired by nature supplemented by pink and combined with  fresh accents
• Dark , mysterious colors and violet combined with light , accent colors
• Vibrant colors supplemented by neutrals and combined with black & white

Motifs of blown up type ,  Graphic abstract patterns  are forecast for 2008-09.

Innovative thinking  for an Innovative Business Model
It is understood that the hometextiles have now evolved from being a mere commodity to a style statement at home, in essence being fashionable . In the past the hometextiles trends follow fashion  for two or three seasons after it had hit the runway , but in the  present emerging hometextiles market scenario it is  almost running parallel to the fashion trends.
Under the circumstances, the exporters’ approach need to be changed to inculcate the following  business approach

• Selling ® Marketing
  To imbibe latest techniques of branding , marketing and packaging with a consumer centric approach as in FMCG companies

• Product ® Solution
  Need  to graduate our thinking from just a manufacturer of products to a solution provider for our consumers offering ready solutions to furnish their home interiors 

• Buyer  ® Consumer
  Need to move away from the buyer centric  ( wholesaler or  retailer ) attitude and  focus on consumer centric ( end user )  attitude to satisfy the wants of the consumer . If our products satisfy the wants of the consumer
  ( end user ),  ultimately our trade buyers ( wholesaler or  retailer ) would be happy anyway.

• Technical ® Performance
  Focus on  enhancing  the performance of the products  to bring in more value and benefits for the consumers over the competing products

• Price  ® Positioning
  Every product in the market has a position . Instead of negotiating the pricing at a wrong market ,  market the products at the labeled price at a right market . So from mere price bargainers , we need to position our products and companies in a the right market place.
  

The event was coordinated by Mr.P.Rangasamy, official of Handloom Export Promotion Council

Handloom Export Promotion Council has participated in Domotex 2008 for the fifth consecutive year under MDA scheme with ever increasing number of participants. Domotex was held from 12th to 15 January 2008 at Hannover, Germany, which is considered as the worlds’ number one exclusive fair for floor coverings, organized by Messe Deutch AG, Hannover.

According to Deutche Messe AG, Hannover press release, Domotex 2008 was on a net display area of 97083 sqm (2007: 91,757 m2) spread across 12 halls and 1442 exhibitors (2007:1,336) from over 60 countries have participated. The top 10 countries are Germany, Belgium, Turkey, Netherlands, India, China, Italy, Iran, Switzerland & UK. Surpassing all expectations as well as last year’s figures Domotex 2008 was attended by more than 47000 visitors (2007: 43,538) from a total of 80 different countries. The breakup number of visitors from each country will be known later on.

The following are our 22 (2007: 15) member exporters’ who participated in Domotex 2008.

Sl.No.	Name of the firm
1	Asha Corporation, Panipat
2	Dayal Overseas, Panipat
3	Design Collection, Panipat
4	Eram International, Sitapur
5	La Rugs, Delhi
6	M. Bilal International, Sitapur
7	Mangalick Sales (P) Ltd., Agra
8	Pardeep Intl., Panipat
9	Raja Exports, Panipat
10	Rangoli Overseas, Panipat
11	Rugtex, Panipat
12	Sahib International, Panipat
13	Sahib Overseas, Panipat
14	Sanjiv Fabrics, Delhi
15	Seth Kumar Rai, New Delhi
16	Sethi International, Panipat
17	Sharad Exports, Panipat
18	Tex India, Panipat
19	The Kamdhenu Khadi Wool Pcis Ltd., Panipat
20	Unique Exports, Agra
21	Vardhman Impex, Delhi
22	Vijayan Group, Delhi

According to the feed back received, 260 buyers (2007: 257) mainly from Europe (Spain, Greece, France, Portugal, Italy Germany, Austria, Turkey & UK) apart from USA, Cyprus, LAC, Middle East, Russia, New Zealand & S.Korea have visited them. A total of Rs.2.28 Crores (2007:Rs.2.88 Crores) worth of spot orders and Rs.2.84 Crores (2007:Rs.3.78 Crores) worth of enquiries have been received by our 22 (2007: 15) exhibitors.

Domotex 2008 was visited by the following dignitaries, who also interacted with the council’s member exporters who exhibited in the fair

• Shri E.V.K.S.Elangovan, Hon’ble Minister of State for Textiles, Government of India,
• Dr.B.M.Vinod Kumar, Consul General of India, Hamburg,
• Shri B.K.Sinha IAS, Development Commissioner (Handlooms)
• Shri Sohan Jha, Additional Development Commissioner (Handlooms)

LAST THREE YEARS STATISTICS OF DOMOTEX, HANNOVER, GERMANY
Country	Exhibitors			Area in m²
	2006	2007	2008	2006	2007	2008
Germany	333	257	311	29,970	24,013	25,507
India	158	199	201	4,044	5,328	5,821
China	175	179	189	2,630	4,201	4,529
Turkey	93	102	107	8,700	9,783	10,328
Netherland	58	66	62	6,506	7,012	7,338
Belgium	100	90	91	13,364	13,492	13,640
Italy	47	60	58	3,380	3,466	3,529
Iran	19	25	27	2,659	3,011	3,251
Switzerland	25	19	27	2,516	2,431	2,103
U.K.	35	29	36	1,610	1,511	1,842

Trendsetting lineup of special events and displays:
 
The success of Domotex was also due to its rich and highly informative supporting program. One trendsetting event floorforum – a special showcase masterminded by internationally renowned Amsterdam-based designer Ulf Moritz was remarkable. At floorforum 2008, contemporary carpets and textile floor coverings of superb quality were featured in four deliberately ‘over-the-top’ room decors entitled “Natural Beauty,” “Exclusive Extravagance,” “Functional Coolness” and “Classic Comfort.”

Another one was the Carpet Design Awards which met with increased interest for the third consecutive year. A total purse of 10,000 Euros was awarded in recognition of creative and innovative design in the hand-made carpet and rug segment. “CDA” once again proved to be a major crowd-puller, featuring an array of 10 categories and entries by 148 contestants from 15 different countries. In an additional category, visitors were asked to choose their favorite carpet/rug from among the finalists. This year’s Visitors’ choice award went to the German carpet makers at floor to Heaven for their entry “Love nature: Beach.”

For trade visitors in hand-knotted carpets and rugs of classical/traditional or contemporary design, the Loom Lounge was the place to be, and once again drew in the crowds.

In Domotex 2008, one of the emphasis was providing added benefit for skilled trades’ people. The initiative for safer working practices was a big success right from the outset, giving practitioners a welcome opportunity to pick up some valuable tips and tricks on how to boost safety in their day-to-day work.

Few suggestions of member exporters’ participants:

• Provision of Internet connection
• Direct participation of HEPC
• Prominent location
• Allotment of space by draw

General observation and suggestions:

Many of our participants have not concentrated on colour forecast, contemporary design and visual merchandise. In future participation, the selected participants may be provided suitable expertise in time for a successful participation.  A bigger Central Promotion Stall with sofas and centre table for the Council is a must to attract buyers to approach for information. An advertisement may be released in the fair catalogue.

Domotex 2008, Hannover was coordinated by Shri R.P.Rajalingam, EPO and Shri M.Anand Balaji, Jr.EPO of the Council.

Domotex 2009, Hannover will be held from 17 – 20 January 2009.

HEPC had participated in the 8th edition of Heimtextil India 2007 held at Bombay Exhibition Centre,  Mumbai  from   10th to 13th October, 2007, organized by Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai.  Two other fairs viz. Texworld India & Techtextil India were held side by side along with Heimtextil India under the name of “Textile Days India”.

The Council took 270 sq.mtrs of space and distributed the same to 21 member exporters to showcase their products in the Fair.  A wide range of new products in home textile items including bed linen, table linen, toilet linen, kitchen linen, cushion covers, duvet covers, decorative table cloths, durries, mats, patchwork items, curtains, throws etc. were displayed by our member exporters in this fair.  Nearly 150 exporters from more than 10 countries participated in the fair. 

As per the report of the fair authorities, there were 291 Foreign Buyers, 116 Buying Agents and 263 Business visitors visited the fair.  As  per the feedback report received from our member participants, buyers  from Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, Korea, Denmark, Portugal, Russia, Taiwan, Belgium, Poland, Greece, South Africa, Brazil, Malaysia, U.K., Australia, France, U.S.A., Canada, Sweden, China & Argentina have visited the stalls of our Members and  on the spot orders to the tune of Rs. 1.17 crores as well as concrete enquiries worth of Rs. 4.44 crores were  generated by them during the fair.

Most of  the members who have participated through the Council  have expressed their satisfaction over the business generated and almost all of them wanted to repeat their participation in this fair during next year through the Council.

HEPC had participated in the 24th edition of Indian Handicrafts and Gifts Fair (Autumn) ’07 held at India Expo Mart, Greater Noida  from   16th to 19th October, 2007, organized by Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts, New Delhi.
 
EPCH has allotted 146.25 sq.mtrs of space to HEPC which was distributed to 10 member exporters who had not participated in any international fairs so far through HEPC. Council had engaged a NIFT Faculty with students to help our member exporters to display their products in a professional way

There were total  90  Foreign Buyers, 40 Buying Agents and 66 Business visitors from Russia, Spain, Argentina, Turkey, Greece, Lebanon, Dubai, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Korea, etc., have  visited the stalls of our member exporters in this fair.  As  per the feedback report received from our member participants, on the spot orders to the tune of Rs. 15.20 lakhs as well as concrete enquiries worth of Rs. 1.69 crores were  generated by them during the fair.

Most of the members who have participated through the Council  have expressed their satisfaction over the arrangements made and almost all of them wanted to repeat their participation in this fair during next year through the Council

The  25TH   Edition of Indian Handicrafts and Gifts  Fair (Spring) 2008 was inaugurated by Shri Shankersinh Vaghela, Hon’ble Minister of Textiles on 28.02.08 at India Expo Mart & Centre, Greater Nodia in the presence of   Shri Ashok Pradhan, Member of Parliament, Noida, Shri Sanjay Aggarwal, Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) and other dignitaries.  The inaugural function started with traditional lamp lighting.  Shri Ravi Khanna, Vice Chairman, EPCH welcomed the Chief Guest Shri Shankersinh Vaghela, Hon’ble Minister of Textiles and other dignitaries by presenting bouquets.  The Hon’ble Minister of Textiles has congratulated the organizers and best wishes to all the participants for successful participation.   During the six days exhibition leading manufacturers and exporters, besides mart owners, have displayed vide range of Handicrafts and Textiles including Home Furnishing made-ups such as bedspreads, cushion covers, bed linen, table linen, decorative table cloths, rugs, duvets and quilts, patchwork, curtains, throws besides fashion accessories such as scarves, stoles, etc.

EPCH has allotted 312 Sqm of space to accommodate HEPC member exporters.   The following 19 members were accommodated in 312 Sqm of space in Mart Area 1st, 2nd and 3rd floor and 3 participants in 2nd floor of Exhibition hall.   As the location was not very much advantageous, buyer’s turnout was not up to the expectations.

The names of members who have participated in IHGF(Spring)’08 through HEPC are furnished below:-

Sl.No.	Name of the Participant
1	SUN STAR EXPORT, KARUR
2	NARAYANAY DURRIES, AGRA
3	MAX CREATIONS, KARUR
4	SRI LAXMI EXPORT, KARUR
5	NOBLE ENTERPRISES, PANIPAT
6	APEX INTERNATIONAL, NOIDA
7	S.V.S. EXPORTS, KARUR
8	CHENNAI HOMETEX PVT. LTD., CHENNAI
9	REHANA'S, VARANASI, UP
10	ASSAM SAMABAY RESHM PRATISTHAN LTD.
11	ANGAA FASHION, KARUR
12	VIJAYAN GROUP, NEW DELHI
13	HIMACHAL WOOLLEN MILLS, LUDHIANA
14	GAURAV HL PRODUCTIOIN COOP. SOCIETY LTD
15	EXCLUSIVE PRODUCTS, PANIPAT
16	DEVI TEXTILES, CHENNAI
17	INDIAN WEAVERS COOP. SOCIETY LTD., AZAMGARH
18	T.K. INTERNATIONAL LTD., GURGAON
19	BUNKAR UDYOGIK S. S. LTD., ETAWAH

Council had engaged NIFT students to help our member exporters to display our member exporters products in a professional way.  There were total 73 Foreign Buyers, 44 Buying Agents from Dubai, Germany,  France, Spain, Australia, Hong Kong and Chile  etc... have visited our 19 member exporters stalls. It has been ascertained from our member participants that spot orders worth of Rs.51.7 lakhs and enquiries worth of Rs.45.13 lakhs have been generated during the six days of fair. 

Shri.G. Mathi Vathanan, IAS Executive Director of the Council & Shri S.K.Jha, Addl. Development Commissioner have visited the fair and interacted with our member exporters. Shri. R. P. Rajalingam, Export Promotion Officer, Regional Office, New Delhi co-ordinated the event. Due to lack of communication between Mart owners and EPCH our participants  have suffered lot of problems & stand allocation been changed several times even upto noon of first day of the fair i.e. on 28.2.08. Over all the response was not up to expectations.    We may reconsider our future participation in Mart Area.

Few photographs taken during IHGF (Spring)’08 are attached.

The next Indian Handicrafts & Gifts Fair (Autumn)’08 will be held from 15th to 18th October 2008.

            (R.P.RAJALINGAM)
Export Promotion Officer.

The 14th edition of “Tex-Styles India” organized by India Trade Promotion Organisation was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Union Minister of Commerce Shri Kamal Nath, with Hon’ble Union Minister of Textiles Shri Shankersinh Vaghela as guest of Honour, in the presence of Shri G.K. Pillai, Secretary (Commerce), Shri B.K.Sinha, Development Commissioner (Handlooms), Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Shri J. N. Singh, Textile Commissioner, and other dignitaries. 

Approximately 200 leading Indian and overseas exhibitors have participated in “Tex-Styles India 2008” fair with display area of 12000 sq. mtrs. In Hall Nos. 9, 10 & 11.  The products on display are wide range of fabrics, yarns, furnishings, made-ups, shawls and textile gift items.              

The Council participated in this fair with 36 members out of which 28 are erstwhile DEPM beneficiaries from across the country, as directed by DCH to market test their products. All our member participants have been provided with NIFT trainees to put-up display of their exhibits in an international standard as most of them are first time participants in any International fairs.
           
Following 36 participants are participated through HEPC:            
           

Sl.No.	Name of the firm
1	Trident Home Furnishings (P) Ltd., Chennai
2	Khatri Texstyles, Jaipur
3	BRS Exports, Karur
4	S.R. Overseas, Bhagalpur
5	The Meppayil Weavers Co-op. Production & Sales Society Ltd., Kerala
6	Rohini Home Furnishings, Panipat
7	M/s.Reshami Kargha Udyog S.S.Ltd., Azamgarh
8	Kalia Narottam Handloom Udyog Bhawan, Orissa
9	Purbasthali Block –1 Tangail Tantubay Samabay Samity Ltd., Dist – Burdwan
10	Home Shopping Source, Panipat
11	Bhutti Weavers Co-operative Society Ltd., Kullu
12	Katwa Silpa Samabay Samity Ltd.,W.B.
13	Shama Handloom Co-op. Society Ltd., Azamgarh,
14	Gramkalna Tangail Tantubay Samabay Samity Ltd., Dist.Burdwan.
15	The Sankaranellur Weaver's Cooperative Society Ltd., Kerala.
16	Destitute Anzum Kargha Audyogic Utpadan Sehkari Samiti Ltd.,Moradabad
17	Kasturba Gramin Bayan Samabai Samiti Ltd., Assam
18	Glotex Handloom Co-op. Society Ltd., Barabanki,
19	The Shiva Weavers Handloom & Handicrafts Welfare & Tourism Development Co-op. Industrial Society, Kullu
20	Bunkar Silk Co-op. Society LTd., Varanasi
21	North Cachar Hills Tribal Regional Handloom Weavers Co-op. Society Ltd., Dist : N.C.Hills, Assam
22	M/s.Kuthuparamba Weavers Co-op. Society Ltd. LL85, Kannur
23	Basakpara Tangail Tantubay Samabay Samity Ltd., W.B.
24	The Esquire Raffal & Pashmina Handloom W.I.C.S Ltd., Srinagar
25	M/s.Sunil Enterprises, Kolkata
26	Thrilokya Weaving Works, Kerala
27	Karimganj District Hadnloom Weavers Co-op. Society Ltd., Assam
28	Destitute Hathkargha Udyog Utpadan Sahkari Samiti Ltd., Varanasi 221 001
29	The Pappinisseri Weavers Indl (W-S) Co-operative Society Ltd., Kerala
30	Shahgran Teela Audhyogik utpadan weavers Co-op. Society Ltd., Etawah (UP) – 206001
31	U.P. Handloom tex-Apex Mkt. Co.op. Federation Ltd., Kanpur
32	Raja Exports, Panipat
33	Rachna Designs,  Ghaziabad
34	Sree Bhagavathy HWCS Ltd., Thiruvanathapuram
35	The Karnataka Handloom Development Corporation Ltd., Bangalore
36	Silver Handloom Co-operative Society Ltd.,Barabanki (U.P.)

The special feature at the fair are:

• Trend Forum showcasing the future forecast and trends of top designers for Spring-Summer 2009.
• Theme Pavilion depicting capabilities of Indian industry and directions through the startling presentation.
• Fabric folio A bird’s eye-view of the innovations, concepts and development of Fabric index culled from the participating companies and other production centers.
• Designers’ Gallery display of Designers’ collections for Season come alive in from and feel.

This year the following International Events have also been orgnaised along with Tex-Styles India:

• INTEX – Exclusively for Fabrics for apparel & accessories
•  Carpet Expo – Exclusively for Carpet, Floor Coverings.
• India Houseware and Gifts Show – Exclusively for Houseware, Handicrafts & Gifts items.

According to the feed back received from our member participants there are 358 foreign buyers (2007:264) & 191 Buying Agents (2007:142)  & 337 Business visitors have visited our member participants stalls from Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, Denmark, Portugal, Russia, Kuwait, Belgium, Poland, Greece, South Africa, Brazil, Malaysia, U.K., UAE, Australia, France, USA, Canada, Sweden, China & Argentina. It has also been ascertained from  our 36 member participants (2007:19) that spot orders worth of Rs. 25.75 lakhs (2007:89.75 lakhs) & enquires worth of Rs.2.19 crores ( 2007:2.40 crores) were generated during the 4 days of fair for different products.   The reason for decline in confirmed orders and enquiries received is mainly due to less number of established exporters compared to last year.

Further, as usual ITPO has awarded the overall best display in the fair on 04.03.2008.  Smt. Sheila Dikshit, Chief Minister, Govt. of NCT of Delhi has presented the awards.

Shri B. K. Sinha, Development Commissioner (Handlooms), Shri S.K. Jha, ADC, Dr. D.S. Gangwar, ADC, Shri Satyan Sharda, Secretary ACASH, Shri Nazmuddin, JDC, Shri. M. Britto, Chairman HEPC, Shri V .C. Jain, Vice Chairman HEPC, Shri G. Mathi Vathanan, Executive Director of the Council have visited the fair and interacted with member exporters. Shri R.P. Rajalingam, EPO, has co-coordinated the event.

Development Commissioner (Handlooms) has visited for the second time on 5th March 2008 and interacted with every member participants as well as Designers Gallery.  DC(HL) advised to ascertain a list of interested members with stall size to participate in Tex-Styles India 2009 by conducting a survey and arrange for participation in a very big way.  After visiting designers gallery DC(HL) has asked to compile a list designers and arrange to send a letter to all of them urging them to source handloom fabrics from various handloom clusters developed by DC(HL).                   

(R.P.RAJALINGAM)
Export Promotion Officer