Brass industry losing lustre
By Satish Handa

MANUFACTURERS and exporters of brass handicrafts from Moradabad are facing problems while competing in the international market. As a result, the future of about 4 lakh artisans working with the thousands of units in the town, most of them in the cottage sector, is dark. Carving on brass is famous as a traditional art since the Mughal period onwards. This industry is doing an annual business worth several hundred crore. The exports alone constitute over 70 per cent of the annual turnover.

We are losing grip in the international market as compared to other countries like China, Taiwan and Manila due to a lack of production infrastructure, obsolete manufacturing technology used by our artisans and the non-cooperative attitude of the government, is the view of most entrepreneurs. They feel the need to educate artisans. The latter have never tried to learn new techniques in this business and continue to copy years’ old designs. According to the president of Handicrafts Export Association, K.L. Katyal, the brass handicrafts made in Moradabad are heavier as compared to those made in China and Taiwan. That is why the cost of production becomes much higher as compared to that of the competitors in the export market". Due to a ban imposed by the government on sheesham wood and bringing of the saw mills in UP under the license regime, a large number of artisans as well as exporters in the wood carving business at Saharanpur have switched to exporting brass handicrafts. The competition has increased due to recession of demand and the profit margins have been decreased, feels Katyal.

"The trend among local artisans of copying the designs provided by foreign customers, too, has affected our business and they avoid providing us fresh designs. We have to suffer the business from various prominent buyers on account of lapses on the part of artisans. Exporters are the worst affected in this business,"says Katyal. Delay by the brass carving units to deliver the supply is another major problem being faced by exporters. In spite of making payments in advance, the handicrafts manufacturers do not stick to committed deliveries. Sometimes export orders are cancelled and customers refuse to lift the material. This causes financial loss to the exporters besides putting an end to future business relations.

Sat Pal, an entrepreneur of metal handicrafts holds the government responsible for being lax in providing updated technology to the artisans. He feels metal handicrafts service centres should be set up to conduct training camps for the artisans and handicrafts manufacturers. This will keep the business alive. The brass handicraft industry had witnessed a real boom till 1990 but was then followed by a constant slump. Problems began creeping in after that. "It is a shame that the government is making no efforts to bail out such an export-oriented industry which was at its peak in the past and brought in a lot of foreign exchange for the country. The state government too earns revenue besides the fact that about 4 lakh persons are employed.

Kamal Soni, another entrepreneur admitted that the manufacturing technology involved in the Moradabad handicrafts industry is 25-30 years old as compared to that adopted by competitors abroad. The metal handicrafts industry at Moradabad was at the top in the country is now slipping down as compared to the handicrafts industry at Jaipur. "In China, the metal handicrafts industry is owned by the government. It is not possible for tiny manufacturers to invest huge amounts in setting up a highly sophisticated industry. Moreover, most of the units in Moradabad are doing metal carving manually. This often hampers scheduled delivery and quality of work," said Soni.