NARASAPUR (WEST GODAVARI)
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The famed Narasapur crochet lace craft has got the Geographical Indications (GI) tag, giving a new lease of life to the dying craft in the Godavari region of Andhra Pradesh.
The Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry registered the craft in the Geographical Indications Registry (GIR) on March 1, 2024, certifying that the craft is geographically limited to 19 mandals in West Godavari and Dr. B.R.Ambedkar Konaseema districts in the Godavari region.
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Narsapur and Palacole are the major trade points for lace products in West Godavari district. In Konaseema region, Razole and Amalapuram are known for the craft. Nearly 15,000 women are directly involved in the craft, producing three categories of products made of lace— garments, home furnishings and accessories.
West Godavari District Alankriti Lace Manufacturing Mahila Mutual Aided Co-operative Societies’ Federation Limited (popularly known as Alankriti Federation), Narasapur All India Crochet Lace Exporters Association and Andhra Pradesh Handicrafts Development Corporation Limited (APHDC) jointly applied for the GI Tag for the crochet lace craft.
Bleak scenario
“Finally, our craft has received the GI tag. More than 15,000 women are associated with our federation comprising 51 societies. However, barely 200 women are now active in the regular production. The crochet lace craft market here has remained paralysed since COVID-19 pandemic due to a lack of new orders. We hope that the GT tag will help revive the craft and foreign trade,” Alankriti Federation president Pulaparthi Mahalakshmi told The Hindu over phone.
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An estimated 60% of the artisans involved in the craft are women. The State government-run Alankriti Lace Park in Narasapur town resumed operations in May 2023 years after it was shut down. China’s machine-made lace products are dictating the terms in the market, giving a death blow to the Narasapur lace products, she explained.
Tracing the origin
In 1844, Macrae and his wife from Scotland taught the lace craft to the local women when the duo was associated with a Christian missionary at Dummugudem (presently in Telangana). They had sold the products through their friends in India and abroad, according to documents submitted by the applicants to the GI authorities.
The craft has survived the Indian famine (1899) and the Great Depression (1929). By the early 1900s, above 2,000 women were involved in the craft in the Godavari region.
“The craft will earn global recognition with the GI tag. Women are the major stakeholders in practising and popularising the craft for generations. We are pinning hopes on the increase of demand for the lace products,” said Andhra Pradesh Handicrafts Development Corporation Limited (Lepakshi) Managing Director M.D. Balasubramanyam Reddy.