India's Handicraft Economy
India's Handicraft Sector
How India's handicraft sector employs millions of artisans, many in rural areas, its export value, and why it's both an economic and cultural asset.
India has one of the world’s largest handicraft sectors.
Artisans
Millions of artisans make crafts, many in rural areas and many of them women.
Variety
Carpets, brassware, woodwork, pottery, textiles, jewellery, paintings and more.
Exports
India exports handicrafts worth billions of dollars, mainly to the US and Europe.
Informal
Most artisans work in homes or small workshops without formal contracts.
Heritage
Crafts carry cultural traditions passed through generations.
Challenges
Low incomes, competition from machine-made goods and young people leaving crafts.
Three generations of a family in Rajasthan make block-printed textiles in their courtyard.
They support millions of livelihoods.
- Millions of artisans work in crafts.
- Handicraft exports are worth billions.
- Most work is informal.
- Crafts carry cultural heritage.
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