Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, Sep. 26: Jesmina Zeliang from Nagaland, the only woman in the board of directors in the Export Promotional Council of Handicrafts (EPCH) has been nominated president of the 46th edition of the Indian Handicraft and Gift Fair (IHGF) Delhi Autumn 2018. The event is scheduled to be held during October 14-18 at the India Expo Centre & Mart, in Greater Noida.
The IHGF is among one of Asia’s largest gift and handicrafts fairs held biannually i.e., spring and autumn, organised by the EPCH and is considered a hallmark for excellence in the Indian handicrafts sector.
Zeliang told Eastern Mirror that she had been in the governing body of the EPCH for the past eight years and is also convenor for the organisation’s Northeast sector.
“I got my first break when I exhibited my products in the fair many years ago and I urge young entrepreneurs to take part in such fairs,” Zeliang said. She maintained that the EPCH was “aggressively” engaging promotion of entrepreneurs from the Northeast.
To provide a push in the export earnings from the Northeast region, she explained, the council undertook an ambitious international marketing project. The project entailed an integrated approach that is in development of marketable products with the help of national and international designs; marketing support with the help of marketers or merchandisers; procuring export order and following up for implementation and realization, etc. As a result of these, she said, handicraft product export from the Northeast is being generated.
More than 3, 000 Indian marketers including 900 permanent marts, from across India will be marketing home and home designs; lifestyle, fashion and textile products spread over in 15 halls covering 1,90,000 square meters.
Jasmina Zeliang informed that the IHGF was a direct buyer and seller meet which was expected to bring in around 5000 buyers and was regarded as one of the top Indian fairs. She made known also that there was a special section for the Northeast entrepreneurs curated by the commissioned designers from the Philippines.
“Our endeavour is to see young entrepreneurs from the Northeast emerge,” she said. She added that this year 20 entrepreneurs from the Northeast had been selected; two from Nagaland were selected.
In 2008, Heirloom Naga was selected one of the 40 small producers worldwide by the Dutch government under their trade promotional wing CBI— ‘centre for the promotion of imports from developing countries.’
In 2013, she was one of three members to represent India for the prestigious International Visiting Leadership program in Washington.
Jesmina Zeliang was also chosen not only as a delegate but also to lead delegations on several occasions to represent both the Northeast region and India.
