West Godavari (Andhra Pradesh): The popular Narasapur crochet lace craft has bagged the coveted Geographical Identification (GI) tag from the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.
The award has drawn attention to Rustumbada Crochet Lace Park in Narasapuram Mandal of West Godavari district. Many women in Godavari district possess the skill of handcrafting the exquisite crochet lace that is generally used as designs in dresses and for home decor.
To bring the artisans under one umbrella, the Lace Park was established in 2000 with the help of the Central government. Since then, women have been engaged in lace weaving here as per the market requirements.
"It is a good thing that Lace Park has got recognition. This will improve job opportunities here. Recently, we trained 200 people in collaboration with Exim Bank of Mumbai. The collector is working hard to undertake training on new innovations, new products, setting up of industrial hearing mission and construction of showroom," said Bhimavaram District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) PD MSS Venugopal.
Earlier, middlemen used to sell the products at huge profits but paid the artisans only a nominal amount. In 2000, the DRDA took the initiative to preserve and promote this rare handicraft under the Ambedkar Hasta Vikas Yojana. The organisation aims to ensure that the artisans are able to sell their products without being exploited by the middlemen. It also imparts training to women eager to pursue this skill.
The handmade crochets are made in attractive colours and exquisite patterns. The products range from handbags to phone covers, wall hangings, cushions and sofa covers and kids and women's wear. The products made at the Lace Park are not only sold within the country but exported to USA and UK.
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