The Hindu : APHDC plan to double exports

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 06, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

APHDC plan to double exports

By Our Special Correspondent

VISAKHAPATNAM MARCH 5. The AP Handicrafts Development Corporation Limited (APHDC) has plans to double its exports to Rs.10 crores. Disclosing this to reporters here on Wednesday, the APHDC Chairman, Somisetty Venkateswarlu, said that the turnover of the APHDC, which was now Rs. 30 crores, would be increased to Rs. 40 crores next year.

The profit up to January-end this year was Rs. 40 lakhs on a turnover of Rs. 20.81 crores, he claimed. This would be increased by doing more business and achieving new targets, he explained. A lot of publicity was being given to handicrafts in the State and Rs. 24 lakhs was spent for this purpose alone, he stated.

Claiming that the corporation was marketing the products of over 1.5 lakh artisans through its network of 13 sales emporia, including two outside the State in Calcutta and Delhi, he said that there were plans to set up emporia in all the districts in the State and as part of this showrooms would be opened by next month in Kurnool, Karimnagar, Khammam, Kakinada and Nellore. Emporia would also be set up in pilgrim centres like Srisailam, Annavaram and Simhachalam where there was lot of floating population. Replying to questions, he said that franchisees would be appointed in other States and abroad to increase exports.

``We are successful because of the quality products we sell. There is guaranteed quality and so people keep coming to us,'' he said and dismissed the allegations that the products at Lepakshi emporia of the corporation were expensive, when compared to others. Care was taken to match the quality and the prices were kept at a reasonable level to be remunerative to the artisan. In this context, he cited the example how the Bobbili Veena, made of jack wood in Bobbili was slightly costlier than the inferior varieties made of mango wood to show that his organisation maintained quality.

Mr. Venkateswarlu said that the corporation was also conducting 40 to 50 exhibitions for 10 days each in the name of Craft Bazars in almost all important locations in the country. "Participation in these exhibitions will help the artisans in exposing them to different cities and help them improve their sales,'' he said. While business worth Rs. 36 lakhs was done during the last Craft Mela held in Hyderabad, in the just concluded mela in Vijayawada the sales were to the tune of Rs. 50 lakhs, he revealed.

He also said that the corporation was looking at generating income from other sources like giving its buildings on rent. It had own buildings in most of the places in the State at busy centres and there were plans to construct extra floors on them and rent them out for additional income.

On the performance of the Visakhapatnam branch, he said that against a target of Rs.2.7 crores for the current year, business to the extent of Rs. 2.18 crores was done till date for a net profit of Rs.20 lakhs and hoped that the target would be achieved by the end of the financial year. The branch manager, K. Venkateswara Rao, was present at the press conference.

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APHDC plan to double exports