Handicraft is one of the most important sectors in the Indian economy employing more than seven million people. The country produces wood ware, art metal wares, hand printed textiles, embroidered goods, zari goods, imitation jewellery, sculptures, pottery, glassware, attars, agarbattis, etc. It has registered a growth of over nine per cent in the last decade and is currently valued at around Rs. 21000 crores.
India is one of the largest handicraft exporting countries. In March 2022, the total handicraft export excluding handmade carpets from India was US$ 174.26 million which was an 8% increase from February 2022. During 2021-22, the total exports of Indian handicrafts were valued at US$ 4.35 billion; a 25.7% increase from the previous year.
The country has a large number of people involved in various industries such as weaving silk fabric and garments, crafts and embroidery work and weaving carpets or rugs etc., which adds value to their products by using different techniques.
