Khadi to cross Rs 5,000 crore sales mark in FY18, says KVIC Chairman

Riding high on the upsurge in demand for khadi products, Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) expects to surpass the sales target of Rs 5,000 crore by the end of 2017-18.

"The sale of khadi products has recorded a quantum jump. We are getting good orders from the government. We will achieve the sales target of Rs 5,000 crore by the end of 2017 -18," KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena told PTI.

Sales of khadi goods shot up by about 29% to Rs 1,510 crore in 2015-16.

He said that the KVIC is also setting up export cells to promote overseas sales of the products.

"There is a good demand in the countries like the US and UK. Currently, we are not doing direct exports but now we will start. It will help in making khadi an international brand," he said.

Further to improve the quality and sales of products, KVIC is regularly organising training programmes for spinners and weavers in areas like designing and marketing.

Overall sales of both khadi and village industries have jumped over 14% to Rs 37,935 crore in 2015-16.

The khadi and village industries products are manufactured by about 7 lakh privately-owned household units. These units are funded through schemes such as Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme.