Government has tied up with Snapdeal, one of India’s major online shopping website, to promote tribal handicrafts by cashing in on the online retail space.
The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd (TRIFED), which is a national-level apex organisation functioning under the Tribal Affairs ministry, has signed an MOU with Snapdeal, said a senior Tribal Ministry official.
As a part of the agreement, exquisite authentic tribal art and craft items crafted and sculpted by tribal artisans from all over the country will be showcased on the online portal for sale.
“The aim is to to promote tribal handicrafts like handloom products, cane and bamboo products, tribal jewellery, Dhokra craft, tribal weaves and embroidery, tribal paintings etc by cashing in on the online retail space reach to boost sales.
“Already 100 such tribal products are available for purhase online and some of them have already been sold. The main objective is to improve the livelihood of the tribal communities by creating a sustainable market and create business opportunities for them based on their cultural knowledge and traditional skills,” the official said.
TRIFED has been taking a number of promotional initiatives for marketing of tribal artefacts and products. From a single sales outlet of TRIBES India in 1999 at 9, Mahadev Road, Delhi, it has established 36 outlets of its own and 9 Consignment outlets across the country.
It is engaged in the development and marketing of traditional tribal products. Design and quality inputs are given to the artisans wherever required for overall improvement and better marketing prospects of their products.