About Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts

Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) is a non-profit organisation established in the year 1986 with an object to promote, support, protect, maintain and increase the export of handicrafts. It is an apex body representing Indian Handicrafts manufacturers & exporters. EPCH facilitates its over 9500 registered members to customize and offer unique styles and quality products to the global sourcing community. The Council provides comprehensive information about the sector to International buyers and ensures optimal interface between the Indian handicrafts industry and international buyers to facilitate business. The Council with its Headquarters in New Delhi; has representative offices in Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Saharanpur, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Agra, Guwahati and Moradabad besides Narsapur.

Indian Handicrafts sector engages more than 7 million craftsperson from all over India and numerous categories of handicrafts, gifts and decorative items are produced for various forms of raw material. The Indian handicrafts have great potentiality of exports in International market. The design development, technological upgradation and innovation being undertaken in the sector at the production level with the efforts through the schemes of Office of DC (Handicrafts) as well as vigorous efforts by the EPCH in craft clusters have made the Indian products competitive in International market as compare to competitors.

EPCH is actively involved in development and export promotion of handicrafts through activities like skill development, design support, infrastructure development and provides marketing opportunities through participation in fairs and exhibitions. As a result of the same, the exports is witnessing increasing trend in previous years. Amongst other activity, IHGF Delhi Fair is EPCH’s agship event, held biannually i.e. Spring & Autumn editions; it is now world’s biggest handicrafts show of Home, Lifestyle, and Fashion & Textiles.

Among its cluster development projects , EPCH has undertaken an aggressive technology support drive by setting –up of Common Facility Centres & Photo framing Technology Centre at Saharanpur and Jodhpur, Technology Upgradation Centre at Saharanpur , International Lace Trade Centre at Narsapur, Resource Centre at Moradabad etc. to name a few.

About Common Facility Centre, Jodhpur

Jodhpur is a major craft-pocket for wooden handicraft products in India. In order to reinforce the technical expertise, facilitate the wood carving sector and upgrade the level of technology of wooden-craft, EPCH came out with appropriate proposal and subsequently with the presentation made before the Empowered Committee, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry sanctioned Dated 3.01.2002 under ASIDE scheme. A matching contribution have been approved by the office of D.C. (H/c) vide sanction order Dated 4.3.02. The Center was to run and manage by EPCH on self-sustained basis. A land measuring 1492 sq.mtr. was procured by EPCH from RIICO, Jodhpur at plot no. spl/1, Basni Industrial Area, Phase-1st , Jodhpur.