The state’s handicraft industry, which largely survives on domestic sales, has seen stability and strengthening in the recent months, and has remained unaffected by the economic slump.

Even as Gujarat has a high number of artisans who trade directly or through Non-Governmental Organisations for exports as well as domestic sales, the handicraft products marketed by the Gujarat State Handloom and Handicraft Development Corporation’s Garvi Gurjari as well as the individual artisans, have seen a phenomenal increase in sales.

Gujarat, however, has no databank of the exports from individual artisans who account for 90 per cent of the sales (both domestic and exports).

Of the near 3 lakh-estimated artisans across the state concentrated in Kutch, Ahmedabad, Patan and Saurashtra, products from 18,000 artisans were marketed last year. The sale of handicraft products at the various outlets of Garvi Gurjari — which markets 10 per cent of the total output from the state — across the country, have shot up from Rs 6.96 crore in 2005-06 to Rs 14.35 crore in 2008-09.

On the contrary, the export figures for handicrafts from the entire country toppled from Rs 17,536.78 crore in 2007-08 to Rs 10,891.85 crore in 2008-09.

Punamchand Parmar, Commissioner of Cottage Industries said: “Exports from Gujarat have seen no slump. It has become steady instead, with some sectors of the industry seeing an upward trend.”

S K Chaturvedi, Managing Director, Gujarat State Handloom and Handicraft Development Corporation, said: “The demand for the state’s handicraft has witnessed a definite surge off late. Nearly 25 to 30 types of handicrafts that can be divided into over 85 sub-types, are constantly seeing a constant increase in demand.”

Chaturvedi added: “This is a turnaround from the scenario a couple of years ago when the market had stagnated a bit. Last year, we saw 11 per cent growth and we can say that the handicraft market of the state is definitely looking up.”