Press Trust of India / New Delhi Jun 21, 2009, 16:49 IST
Stating that over 1 lakh jobs have already been lost in the domestic handicraft sector on account of Chinese imports, industry body EPCH today demanded an immediate ban on such goods from the neighbouring country.
"The Export Promotion Council for Handicraft (ECPH) has demanded an immediate ban on import of Chinese handicraft," the industry body said in a statement.
"Copy-cat Chinese handicrafts" has forced the domestic industry to shed over one lakh artisans in the past few months, which is still struggling to come out of the global economic crisis-led demand slump, it said.
"It (Chinese import) has resulted in loss of over 100,000 jobs in the sector's seven-million workforce," EPCH Chairman Raj Kumar Malhotra said.
The council said that in 2007-08 import of handicrafts items from China stood at Rs 1,040.03 crore against 792.98 crore 2006-07. It did not elaborate on the last fiscal's import figures from China.
The imports are not only destroying the centuries old Indian heritage of handicrafts but also affecting its exports, the council added.
Machine-made goods from China have also hit the Indian market in the US and Europe, which account for the bulk of the domestic exports. In 2008-09, handicrafts exports almost halved to $1.79 billion against the year-ago period.
BAN ALL CHINESE CONSUMER PRODUCTS;
Free import of Chinese consumer products, including decorative items, locks,dry cells, battery chargers, adopters, etc are directly affecting the Indian Industries, resulting in huge unemployment, besides increasing Trade deficit.
Patriotic Indians shd also stop buying Chinese products, even though they have to shell out a little more for the Indian product.
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