Growing challenges of sourcing in the supply chain are forcing various stakeholders to come up with innovative ideas.
Various trade bodies are also active in this regard. Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) has also come up with a campaign ‘Namaste India’ to project India as a safe sourcing destination.
EPCH is a 33-year-old organisation working with an objective to promote, support, protect, maintain and increase the export of handicrafts.
The industry strongly believes that the global value chain has been adversely impacted due to the situation in East Asia particularly in China, with its battle against Coronavirus threatening to send the global economy into disarray, by disrupting the arterial supply chains. Add to it, an acute consumption slowdown in the world’s second-largest economy, which accounts for over 15 per cent of global GDP, is further expected to weigh on the global economy.
As per EPCH ,‘Namaste India’ will attract overseas buyers towards Indian fairs and thereby enable them to look at India as a compliant and safe hub.
The idea behind weaving promotional campaign around ‘Namaste India’ is to give a strong message to the world that if India is safe for the entire delegation of top business magnates accompanying American President, then it is equally safe for others from across the globe to come to India.
Rakesh Kumar, DG, EPCH said that India sympathises with its neighbours and hopes that this menace of Coronavirus that has engulfed China and is slowly spreading to other parts of the world is contained and there is no further loss of life.
He also added “In India, there have been discussions and deliberations focused around strategies to fill the gap left by China and encourage buyers to consider India as an alternate sourcing hub and to create new opportunities to position India as a reliable, safe and competitive supplier.”
Rakesh Kumar also articulated another innovative marketing approach of roping in travel agents in USA and EU to drive the ‘Namaste India’ campaign. He suggested Trade Facilitation Officers to be appointed in Indian Missions overseas as well as in Textiles Export Promotion Councils and Ministry of Textiles to work closely in a coordinated manner so as to promote Indian handicrafts and textiles (including Technical Textiles).
