Uncertainty haunts Karnataka’s artisan community during lockdown

April 26, 2020 10:37 pm | Updated 10:37 pm IST - MYSURU

The handicrafts sector is facing a turbulent time, with no takers even for existing stock.

The handicrafts sector is facing a turbulent time, with no takers even for existing stock.

Having stumbled from one crisis to another that impacted their earnings in the past few years, artisans who make handicrafts have reached a dead end, with the sector screeching to a halt during the lockdown imposed on account of COVID-19.

Thousands of artisans and their families have been left in the lurch as export orders have been cancelled and retail sales have dried up. It has been nearly two months since the tourism and travel industry stopped functioning, and with it a sizeable chunk of handicraft sales — mostly souvenirs — took a hit.

The bulk of handicrafts — mainly large wooden furniture and inlay works — is exported to European and Middle-Eastern nations, besides the U.S. and Canada. But once transport and communication ceased worldwide, all export orders were scrapped, leaving the artisans with unsold inventory.

“With no clear sight of a return of normality, artisans are reduced to receiving ration and doles,” said S. Ramu of Mysore Handicraft Manufacturers’ Association.

Association members said they were affected by demonetisation four years ago, after which came the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, bringing another blow to the sector. “Wooden items classified as furniture were imposed a GST of 28%, while wall hangings and inlay items fell in the GST slab of 12%. The artisan community was yet to recover from the dip in sales when the lockdown happened,” said N. Kumar, general secretary of Karnataka State Artisans’ Welfare Association, Mysuru.

Bleak future

Karakushala Nagar in Metagalli, on the outskirts of the city, has an air of despondency, given the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic and the lockdown. The locality, which houses 600 to 800 artisan families, is normally a beehive of activity of traditional art forms. But today, they are staring at a bleak future.

About 60 km south of Bengaluru is Channapatna, which is renowned for toys and is a hub for handicrafts, but where the situation there is no different. Mayur, an entrepreneur and artisan of Kittanna Toys, said that in the absence of new orders, production has stopped even as there are no buyers for the existing stock.

And going by the heavy toll — both human and economic — of the pandemic, handicrafts will be the last thing on the minds of the general public in a post-COVID-19 world, and hence the recovery is likely is take a long time.

Ramanad Naik, MD of Karnataka Handicrafts Development Corporation, said he has already spoken to the government on the importance of supporting the artisan community to ensure their livelihood and safeguard the crafts. “We are preparing a list of active artisans, but the details of the package are yet to be finalised,” he said.

According to Mr. Kumar, there are about 30,000 registered artisans in Karnataka, of whom nearly 5,000 are active.

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