Pakistani Handicrafts

Handicrafts of Pakistan are famous for their uniqueness, assortment and quality standards and therefore are quite capable of producing their distinctive mark around the globe. Though there are countless types and qualities of handicrafts being produced in Pakistan, but just a couple of those categories actually deserve our attention. For example, leather goods, brass, copperware, marble products, wood crafts, textile and block printing fabrics, embroideries, glass beads, jewelry, camel and snake skin products, pottery, hand-knotted carpets and rugs etc.

Due to intense international competition from Indian and China, lack of government’s interest, diminishing profits and bad infrastructure of handicrafts sector (which is actually known as cottage sector in Pakistan), the industry is in dire need of development and promotion in order to revive the culture and art of the Pakistani heritage.

According to the Pakistan Export Promotion Bureau, in 2008 $ 33M USD worth of handicrafts were exported to the USA, Europe and the Middle East which is extremely discoursing when compared to India’s 147 Million export figure for the same year.( Source: EPCH: Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts in India). EPCH in India has been given a free hand to undertake whatever steps are necessary where; as in Pakistan, is all about mismanagement and red-tape culture from top to bottom.

Each Province of Pakistan has its own inherent problems but the sad part is that there is no serious effort on the governmental level to solve these issues. Few of these problems are:

• Unawareness of quality control
• Tribal system creates hindrance for women to develop their skills and seek opportunities available for their development.
• Lack of working capital, transportation means (roads etc.)
• Non-alignment of products with the latest trends
• Lack of marketing and product designing
• Lack of awareness of facilities available

Despite the gravity of these issues, these problems can be pretty much resolved by the serious and sincere attitude of the concerned authorities. But the question is, when the authority will take action? Why don’t Pakistani departments promote a commodity that not only can help create goodwill and positive image of Pakistan but also provide job opportunities to hundreds of thousands of individuals and families. Unemployment in Pakistan currently stands at14.25 %. I think that encouraging small home industries can provide a solution to this problem.