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Chamba Rumal – Diagnostic study and Business Development Plan

Table of Contents

I. Methodology for Diagnostic Study ....................................................................................................... 3

II. Location of Chamba Cluster .................................................................................................................. 5

III. Introduction – The Craft of Chamba Rumal .......................................................................................... 6

History and Tradition: Miniature art in Chamba ....................................................................................... 7

IV. Chamba Rumal – Craft Production Process .......................................................................................... 9

Raw material ............................................................................................................................................. 9

Important pieces and current designs .................................................................................................... 10

V. Product Review ................................................................................................................................... 14

VI. Chamba Rumal Value Chain Analysis .................................................................................................. 17

a. Description of the Chamba Rumal value chain ............................................................................... 18

b. Analysis of Chamba Rumal value chain ........................................................................................... 19

i) Issues at the levels of primary artisans ....................................................................................... 19

ii) Issues that limit the growth of the enterprises .......................................................................... 21

c. Markets ........................................................................................................................................... 23

d. Institutional Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 25

Institutional players in the Chamba Rumal value chain ......................................................................... 26

VII. Chamba Rumal Cluster Business Development Plan .......................................................................... 28

Summary ................................................................................................................................................. 28

1. Objectives of Intervention .............................................................................................................. 29

2. Intervention Strategies ................................................................................................................... 30

3. Interventions under AHVY scheme ................................................................................................. 31

4. Project Output Targets .................................................................................................................... 32

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I. Methodology for Diagnostic Study

A detailed methodology was followed to gather information on the cluster, identify the main

actors and collect trade and business data from them. A range of tools including one-on-on

interviews, focus groups and surveys were used to collect the required information. The

following is a break-up of the methodology used:

I. Desk research and Set-up of first field visit

o Gathered information on cluster actors and contacts through interactions with a range

of institutions including Crafts Council India, Dastkar, Crafts Revival Trust, Dastkari

Haat Samiti, Fabindia, NID, NIFT and Asian Heritage Foundation.

o Identified and contacted NGOs, individual artisans, master crafts persons and

entrepreneurs working in the area to explore as potential local project partners and

resources. Also scanned for existing government schemes in the area.

o Identified design and other professionals with previous work experience [through

steps A & B above] relevant to the cluster and initiated discussions to explore their

use as project consultants and resources.

o Scanned books, documents and other reading material for initial archival material on

crafts process, design repertoire, local dynamics and existing linkages to markets.

II. Initial field scan, field visit and local hires

o Initial field visit for 7-10 days to meet the artisans, groups and the organizations

working in the area.

o Identified and interview local staff to carry out the survey of the artisans in the area.

o Second field visit to oversee survey.

III. Existing Product Profile Review

o Collected samples to from cluster to review for design, quality of product and

marketability. The samples were review by a panel of experts assembled by AIACA.

o Reviewed the costing process and the marketability of the product in that cost.

o Reviewed appropriateness of production methods, raw materials and tools used.

IV. Craft Production Process Documentation

o A detailed documentation of the craft production process was carried out. Ascertained

original higher-skill techniques that were being used and how the process has

changed over time.

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V. Survey of Artisans

o Demographic profiles of artisans and ancillary workers, including geographic

locations; selection and survey of 500 artisans carried out. The data was then entered

into a computerized format to get aggregate statistics from survey forms.

VI. Value Chain Mapping

o A detailed mapping of the Chamba Rumal value chain was carried out. The mapping

identified actors in the cluster involved in the business of crafts production and sales

including raw material suppliers, master craftsmen, traders and other marketing

intermediaries.

o Conducted detailed analysis of existing commerce in the cluster including current

sources of credit accessed by artisans and traders.

VII. Business Development Plan

o Based on the information collected through the steps above, analysis by professional

staff of Access and AIACA, and interactions with a range of stakeholders in the crafts

sector, a detailed Business Development Plan (BDP) that clearly lists objective,

strategies and targets for needed interventions were developed.

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II. Location of Chamba Cluster

Chamba is the north-western district of Himachal Pradesh. Founded during the 6th

century, it is

one of the oldest princely states in India. It is bounded by Jammu and Kashmir on the north-west;

Ladakh, Lahaul and Bara Bangahlaa on the north-east and east; Kangra and Gurdaspur districts

on the south-east and south. The Ravi River flows through this district, and many hydroelectric

generating stations are coming up in the area. The Chamba valley is surrounded by Dhauladhar

mountain ranges.

The nearest rail head for Chamba is Pathankot. Delhi to Pathankot is 485 Km and then Chamba

is 119 Km via road from Pathankot. Pathankot is very well connected by air, train and road from

Delhi. Dalhousie and Khajjiar are popular hill stations near Chamba and get a huge inflow of

tourists from other parts of the country, particularly Punjab and Delhi.

Chamba has a rich history of crafts including metal crafts, miniature paintings, weaving, leather

work, wood carving, basketry and jewelry making. Over time, the number of artisans actually

practicing traditional crafts has diminished but there is significant literature on the rich craft

history and skill-base of the region and historical specimens can in local temples as well as the

Bhuri Singh museum in Chamba.

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III. Introduction – The Craft of Chamba Rumal

The Chamba Rumal (literally handkerchief), is a form of embroidery that flourished in the

eighteenth and early twentieth century in the mountain region of north India. Running through

Chamba, Kulu, Kangra, Guler, Mandi and Suket (all part of Indian state of Himachal Pradesh),

the craft witnessed explicit distinctions between 'elite' and 'folk art'. The languishing craft of the

'Chamba Rumal' refers only to the delicately embroidered rumals created by royal and elite

women who had access to the professional services of trained miniature artists. These miniature

artists not only drew the theme to be embroidered on the rumal in charcoal, but also provided the

women who would be embroidering the rumal with a sophisticated colour palette, thus ensuring

that the finished piece of embroidery was aesthetic, delicate and stylised, an 'image of a

miniature painting on fabric'1.

The folk version of the rumal - which actually preceded the elite one - was characterised by

'primitive' figures and a bold colour palette. In this, the drawing and embroidery were both done

by the peasant women themselves. Unlike the elite version of the Chamba rumal, which later

became synonymous with the term 'Chamba Rumal', and is now categorised as a 'languishing'

craft, the folk version continues to be embroidered in the area even today, used often for the

same purposes that it was used for over a century ago: mainly for household and everyday use

such as to cover gifts and offerings to the Gods, and being exchanged at the time of marriage

between families of the bride and groom.

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th century rumal

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1 Delhi Crafts Council

2 From a book titled- “Centenary-Bhuri Singh Museum 1908-2008” ed Sharma, Vijay

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Some traditional motifs and designs on new rumals

History and Tradition: Miniature art in Chamba

The history of the Chamba Rumal is linked with that of the rulers of Chamba. After the death of

the Mughal Emperor Aurungzeb in 1707, the Mughal court went into decline. The Chamba king

Raja Umed Singh (1748-68) then offered patronage to miniature artists from the Mughal courts.

This patronage continued under Umed Singh's successors Raj Singh (1764-94) and Charat Singh

(1794-1808).

Even before the exodus of the artists from the Mughal court, Chamba was not unfamiliar with

miniature painting. Though the pahari rajas were independent rulers, they were under a larger

canopy of Mughal suzerainty that allowed a flow of ideas and techniques from the Mughal court.

The sensibility of the pahari miniature - considered the inspiration for artistic, design, and

aesthetic expression of the Chamba Rumal - was proof of this cultural interaction.

There is a strong link between pahari paintings and the embroidery on the rumals. The subject of

the embroideries ranged from religious themes, embodying the strong Vaishnava fervour in the

pahari regions, to themes from the great epics, the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata. Krishna

surrounded by his gopis, godhuli (the hour of cow dust, with Krishna and his cow-herd friends

bringing home the cows); the Radha-Krishna alliance are among the popular themes.

A range of everyday scenes, from court scenes and royal hunts, to depictions of the popular dice

game of chaupad can be found on the rumals. Wedding processions are also depicted. The

figures are made with painstaking care and the costumes and ornaments decorated minutely in

the style of classical miniature paintings.

Colourful floral and animal motifs - peacocks, snakes, horses, and elephants among others - are

often interspersed among the main pictorial elements. The borders of the rumals are almost

always a combination of floral and geometrical, usually depicting floral patterns within

geometrical settings like parallel lines and squares. The borders are created as a frame for the

central picture, and serve to enhance it.

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Each rumal is a colourful creation, even though the elite version of the rumal is more subtle in its

colour combinations than the more primitive and bold juxtapositions found in the folk style,

which commonly use pink, yellow, lemon, purple and green.

The loss of courtly patronage from the early twentieth century onwards led to a distinct decline

in the elite Chamba Rumal, leaving only its folk version alive.

Charcoal sketch on a rumal

Vegetable colours used for miniature paintings

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IV. Chamba Rumal – Craft Production Process

The traditional Chamba Rumal is an embroidered piece of cloth, most often in a square format

(hence the term rumal or handkerchief), but also occasionally in oblong formats used during

auspicious or ritualistically important occasions to cover ceremonial presentation trays with gifts

and offerings. The rumal was used on a host of occasions: among others, to cover gifts being

exchanged between the families of the bride and groom; to cover offerings to gods during

religious ceremonies and rituals; and as decorative covers for ceremonial trays bearing gifts to

rulers and other high officials.

The process of creating a Chamba Rumal involves the following steps:

i) The visualisation of the theme to be embroidered.

ii) The outlining of the initial drawing in charcoal by a trained miniature artist.

iii) The predetermination of a colour palette to be used while embroidering the rumal.

iv) The actual embroidering of the rumal by the women along the designs sketched in

charcoal by miniature artists.

The stitch used in embroidering the Chamba Rumal was the do-rukha, a double satin stitch,

which, as its name implies, can be viewed from two (do) sides or aspects (rukh). The stitch is

carried both backward and forward and covers both sides of the cloth, effecting a smooth finish

that is flat and looks like colours filled into a miniature painting. No knots are visible, and the

embroidered rumal can be viewed from both sides. It thus becomes reversible. A simple stem-

stitch using black silk thread is used to outline the figures. Other stitches like the cross stitch, the

button-hole stitch, the long and short stitch, and the herring-bone stitch, as well as pattern

darning, were also used occasionally.

Raw material

Traditionally, the fabric used to make the Chamba Rumal was hand-spun or hand-woven

unbleached thin muslin or malmal. The thread used for the embroidery was untwisted silken

yarn, which, in the do-rukha stitch used in Chamba embroidery, has a three-dimensional effect,

creating tones of light and shade. This untwisted silk thread - usually made in Sialkot, Amritsar,

and Ludhiana - was the same as that used in the Phulkari embroidery of the Punjab.

Currently, raw materials being used are cotton, mulmul, silk, terricot and polyester fabrics. Both

twisted and untwisted yarn is being used to do the embroidery. The affect and the beauty of the

Chamba Rumal are clearly visible on the mulmul or cotton. Other fabrics are mostly being used

to bring down the costs of the rumal and sell it in the local market

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Untwisted silken thread

Chamba Rumal on silk fabric with traditional motifs

Important pieces and current designs

So far, the oldest dated rumal is a 16th century creation that is supposed to have been

embroidered by Bebe Nanki, the sister of Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh faith in India.

This is now preserved in the Sikh shrine in Gurdaspur in Punjab.

A rumal depicting the battle of Kurukshetra - from the Indian epic Mahabharata - is to be found

at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. This oblong piece is supposed to have been

presented by Raja Gopal Singh of Chamba to the British in 1833.

Currently, there is an effort to revive the traditional motifs of Chamba Rumal. Cotton or mulmul

are being used to do the embroidery on the rumal. The fabric and the thread both are being

bought from Delhi. These are not available in the local market. Experiment has been done in the

colour palette being used to do the embroidery and various colour options in the base fabric.

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Traditional tree motif with a Women doing embroidery

contemporary design

Experimentation with the base fabric colour

Embroidering on cheaper fabric and using synthetic or twisted thread does bring down the cost

of the rumal and can be easily then sold in the local market. Below are some pictures of products

that are made on cheaper fabric and sold in the local Chamba market.

National awardees and State awardees from Chamba have also kept the tradition alive by

teaching others and producing some high quality embroidered rumals.

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Chamba embroidery being tried on other products

Some individuals and organisations are experimenting with Chamba embroidery on garments,

stoles, dupattas and shawls. One needs to be careful in this and make sure the essence of the

embroidery and the tradition is not lost in this.

'Chamba Rumal', is now categorised as a 'languishing' craft, and as the research material,

interaction with the artisans, museum staff in Chamba and discussions with other ngo‟s like

Delhi Crafts Council , Craft Revival Trust clearly specifies cannot be regarded as Tribal craft.

COLLECTIONS

Bhuri Singh Museum, Chamba (Himachal Pradesh, India)

Crafts Museum, New Delhi (Delhi, India)

Government Museum, Shimla (Himachal Pradesh, India)

Indian Museum, Kolkata (West Bengal, India)

National Museum, New Delhi (Delhi, India)

Victoria & Albert Museum, London (United Kingdom)

INFORMATION

Textual & Photographic Material on the rumal is available with the Delhi Crafts Council.

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Bibliography

Anand, Mulk Raj, 'Chamba Rumals, MARG, Vol. VII, No. 4, September 1954.

Bhagat, Usha, 'Life to a Dying Art', The Hindu: Folio, 21 March 1999.

Delhi Crafts Council, The Chamba Rumal

Kapoor, Vishal, „ Dorukha: The Chamba Rumal of Himachal Pradesh 1999

www.craftrevival.org

Field visit to Chamba, interaction with the local artisans and craft groups.

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V. Product Review

AIACA team purchased few samples of Chamba Rumals and Chamba embroidery to be

reviewed by AIACA‟s panel of experts. The Rumals were sent to all the panellists for review and

they were asked to give their feedback on the following attributes: Quality, Colour and Design,

Price, Usability, Product potential in the domestic and the International market, Suggestions on

product range and designs.

The products varied in price range (Rs60-Rs5000) as well as the quality of skill, raw material

and product‟s over all look.

Product 1, Rs.60 each Product 2, Rs.2500

Product 3, Rs.250 Product 4, Rs.5000

The panellists included:

Sangeeta Sen, Designer and Director, Indi Store: Sangeeta has over eighteen years of

experience in the design field. She has worked as a Head of the Design team at Fabindia

and managed designs for the domestic as well as the export market at Fabindia. She is

currently retailing children‟s clothes at her store Papu and is working as a freelance

designer on number of projects.

Smriti Gupta, Designer: Smriti has over eight years of experience in the Fashion and

Textile industry. She is a graduate from the National School of Design. She has worked

with some leading Designers and Design Consultants in the country- Ritu Kumar,

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Fabindia, RUH, Gallery Mohanjeet and designed collections of prints and wovens with

Triburg Consultants.

Aishwarya Singh, Retailer, The Shop and Exporter Handprint: Aishwarya has been

associated with the well known retail store in New Delhi- The Shop. She plans the

overall sale strategy for The Shop and selects the merchandise for the store, she assists

number of crafts people and craft groups to help produce products that would sell in the

market like Delhi. She is also involved in US and European export market for hand block

prints.

AIACA in house Design and Marketing team: AIACA has an in house design and

marketing team comprising of Designers from IICD, NIFT and University of Sydney.

They have extensive experience of working with the artisans on design, product

development and marketing.

Below is the feedback on Chamba Rumal and suggestions for future product design and

development.

1. Quality: The embroidery quality varies from good to very good, reversible stitch is

impressive and a very unique aspect of the Chamba embroidery. It requires design inputs

to be able to demand the right price for the intensive work that goes in. Quality of raw

material, embroidery patterns, overall finish and packaging needs to be worked upon.

2. Colour and Design: Most colours and designs that are being used give Rumal a very

traditional look. These need to be adapted as per the contemporary look for the market.

Slight variation in colours and motifs (use of more floral and less of folk people and

animals) could give product a more contemporary look. More experimentation required

in both base fabric and embroidery colours.

3. Price: With modification in design and product finish the product can command a good

price in the market. Range of products need to be developed for varied customers- high

end as well as regular buyers. Most high end pieces would be one- off purchases and

could not be converted into large market share. A range of different product lines like

baby bedding, baby and adult garments could be developed to reach a wider market

segment. For high end pieces price could vary from Rs.2500 – Rs.20000 and for mid

range products it could be between Rs.250- Rs1000

4. Usability: Just now most products are very decorative and can only be used as a wall

piece; we need to look at more functional products. The products need to be adapted for

today‟s market with improvements to its functionality.

5. Product potential in the domestic and the international market: The product has huge

potential in both the markets but one need to work on price, colours, design and finishing.

6. Suggestions on product range: For high end market segment – the product needs to be

turned into a very functional piece of craft (art) utilitarian product. Partition screens to

foreground the reversible stitch, sets of small decorative cushion covers, details to add

value to shawls, scarves and design sets of well packaged gifts as collectibles with

descriptions about the embroidery, region and artisans.

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For higher volumes and mid range segment- Kids clothes and linen, garments for women,

scarves in pop colours and use light weight fabric to bring down the costs and increase

functionality. Range of cushion covers, table runners and mats, rumals in various sizes

with more contemporary motifs and colours could be developed.

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VI. Chamba Rumal Value Chain Analysis

Inputs (as raw material)

- Fabric (cotton): Rs. 206/- - Threads: 150/-

(Mostly sourced from local markets also based on sale orders and requirements of the buyers the raw materials are sourced from Delhi or Ludhiana)

Drafting of designs on the fabric - Designer Costs: Rs.

150/-

Needle work (done as job work)

- Job work: Rs. 1000/-

Finishing and quality check - Done by the master crafts

person/s If the designs are not done well they are sent back to the job worker to redo (there is no added job work paid for

redoing)

Exhibitions

and sales Local Retail sales

Buyers (based

on orders)

Sale price ranges between Rs. 2500 to Rs. 3000 per piece

Institutional and other buyers

Group / enterprise / controlled by master crafts persons and recognized artisans

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a. Description of the Chamba Rumal value chain

The value chain of Chamba Rumal starts with the procurement of raw materials; that mostly

includes fabric (local - malmal, cotton or silk) and threads. The raw materials are procured

locally or from markets in Ludhiana or Delhi (if better quality products are required).

There are different arrangements for raw material sourcing which can be majorly categorized as

institutional supply like the Delhi Crafts Council (DCC). DCC supplies the raw material to the

artisan group developed and trained by them for further processing and value addition. The other

sourcing channel is through the master crafts persons who also are enterprise owners. The master

craftsperson puts in his/her capital to procure the raw materials (depending upon the output and

the buyer the raw materials are either procured locally or from other markets like Delhi), which

he only realizes after the final sale of the product i.e. Chamba Rumal. The third supply channel

for raw materials is the local traders who largely cater to the tourist market in Chamba, which is

limited. . The local traders provide the fabric (with designs and colour scheme) to the individual

artisan who has to invest on threads. The local traders realize the costs through local sales or

through assorted bulk buyers with whom they have created linkages. Although they are unwilling

to reveal the exact coordinates of the bulk buyers, anecdotal evidence suggests that these are

traders in the major metros as well as some tier II towns such as Jaipur and Lucknow. The cost of

raw material varies from Rs. 200 to Rs. 500 depending on the size and quality of the raw material

used.

The next level of value addition happens at the levels of master craftsperson where he or any

expert miniature painter (referred to as designer) draws the design on the fabric and elucidates

the colour scheme. The designer is paid for his inputs, which ranges between Rs. 150 to Rs. 500

(based on the intricacies and details of the design). The process of designing takes few hours to a

day for a design. These designers are either permanent staff (as in the case of women groups

promoted by DCC) or hired as and when there is some work (as is practiced more often). The

master crafts persons also provide their inputs in putting designs on the fabric, the cost of which

is inbuilt in the product and is only realized after the sale of the product.

The next level of value addition is the major value addition in the entire value chain of the

product, wherein the fabric with design and colour scheme is passed on to local artisans for the

intricate thread work. This artisans are employed on a piece-work (or job work) basis where they

are paid per piece. At this level the value addition is as much as 50% of the entire value addition

processes (5-10% is the cost of raw material, designer costs is up to 7-8%, thread work is up to

50%, finishing costs contributes to about 1-2% and the margins is around 25-30%).

The master craftsperson, based on the design decides the days required and thus the job rate for

the piece. Mostly it is calculated on a daily job rate of around Rs. 67/- (a 6-hour day); which is

lower than the minimum job rate in the state of Himachal Pradesh that ranges between Rs. 100/-

to Rs. 160/- (Rs. 100/- for unskilled and Rs. 161.15 for highly skilled work force) (Source:

Department of Labour and Employment, Government of Himachal Pradesh, 2009). Based on the

product and thus the person days required, the job work ranges between Rs.500 (for a two week

job work) to Rs. 1000 (for a 1 month job). The income realized by the artisans also depends on

the levels of skills. A comparative analysis reflects that for a specific piece (which has a job

work of Rs. 900/-), if skilled artisan takes 15 days to complete, the semi-skilled would take 1

months. Thus, for the similar time spent by the semi skilled and skilled artisans, there is a huge

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difference in actual income realized. The Skilled artisan can earn up to 2000 per month whereas

the semi-skilled earn only Rs. 900/-. Furthering the disparity, there is a third category of artisans

i.e. learners or low skilled artisans. These are those women or girls that are being trained under

the master craftsperson. These trainees are just paid a stipend of Rs. 500 per month. The

dichotomy is that their stipend is not linked to the job rate for the product, which is normally

higher than the stipends. This could in terms also be seen as exploitation of these trainees as the

products made through them are sold in the markets without proportionate share to the trainee

i.e. on actual job rate basis, which anyways is lower than the minimum wages in the state.

The next level of value chain is finishing that includes quality checks and washing and

packaging. The quality check is done by the master craftsperson who can resend the product

back to the artisan to redo a design or a part of it. For any further changes and reworking on the

product is not compensated for (normally covered as a job work rate for the completed piece).

The next stage is marketing (discussed under the section Markets). The end price to the

consumer varies depending on the pocket size and location. In cities like Delhi the Chamba

Rumal with a production cost of Rs. 1200/- can get as much as Rs. 2500-3,000/-. The Delhi

Crafts Council is managing to sell some of their new designs for over Rs. 5,000 per rumal at their

retail store, Kamala. However, there is no direct exposure or link of the primary producers to

these high end markets and hence their income from this craft is largely decoupled from actual

end price of the product. The added margins to the product are the share of the trader and retailer

in these cities.

b. Analysis of Chamba Rumal value chain

The issues in the Chamba Rumal value chain have been analysed from two perspectives – one:

the issues that acts as entry barriers for new artisans and enterprises and the other on what

restricts the growth of the existing units.

i) Issues at the levels of primary artisans

Skill required

Chamba Rumal as a craft needs three different kinds of skills. One is the skill to convert

various themes into designs; the other skill is to paint the designs on the fabric and third

is to skill to fill up the designs with very fine needle work. The first two skills are very

specialized and hence restricted to only few well trained and experienced persons in

Chamba. Also learning and honing up these skills are very time consuming and only

comes with gradual practice and experience. The third set of skills i.e. needle work is

comparatively easy to learn as the rudimentary levels of skills exists among the women in

the villages. Thus, making it the suitable skill set that could be developed and transferred

to poor women. For effective and productive engagement of poor women in the Chamba

Rumal value chain, these skills (needle work) are essential. With gradual practice and

work these skills can be upgraded from low levels to high levels of skills. Chamba Rumal

is a tradition craft and the skill has been passed on from generations. Mostly the skills

and the knowledge of the craft were restricted to urban elite and had very limited

extension to the poor women and girls in the village. Gradually the potential of this craft

to augment the income of poor households was realized by various development agencies

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and they initiated the process of facilitating transfer of skill and knowledge to the poor

women and girls, especially on needle-work. Many training batches were promoted and

initiated by State Government, the DRDA, Dept. of Industries, DCC and others. The

traditional and recognized artists (state and national awardees) in Chamba Rumal were

identified as trainers to impart trainings. As per various records of the NGOs and

government departments over 1000 women have been trained on needle-work through

these training batches. The skilled artisans all fall under the control of 4 master

craftspeople in the cluster.

Lack of adequate finances The diagnostics of Chamba Rumal value chain elucidates that most of the poor women

are engaged in needle work and are working on a job-rate. The income levels also vary

depending on the skills of the artisan. However, along the years few women in the

villages have honed up their skills and often delivering as master craftsperson in their

respective villages or groups. These leaders or master crafts persons have the potential to

upgrade themselves into the next level of value chain i.e. as an entrepreneur. However,

one of the constraints these women face is that of inadequate availability of finances both

as fixed capital as well as working capital. As discussed most of the work in the value

chain are job-works and there is no change of hands till the product is finished. This

means that the capital invested in raw material and other costs like designer‟s fee, job-

work etc. are locked till the product is sold (one of the enterprise has reported the

inventory of around Rs. 1,00,000 which is locked till the sales are realized). The small

and poor women artisan in the villages do not have the needed capacities to manage this

locked capital and further mobilize the needed working capital to continue the processes.

Poor wage rates

As discussed most of the poor artisans are working as job-workers (regularly or as and

when there is some order) with the master crafts persons (mostly the state or national

awardees have informal/formal groups of women artisans whom they hire as and when

required3). Even the artisans engaged as regular job-workers have poor wage rates (the

wage rate is below the average minimum wage rate in the State). Skilled artisan, engaged

as a regular job-worker get paid at a wage rate of around Rs. 67/- (for six hours i.e.

around Rs. 90/- per day); whereas semi skilled artisan work at a job rate of around Rs.

40/-. In the absence of any other income augmentation alternatives for women, the poor

artisans are working and willing to work at these job rates. Also the work is intricately

linked to the daily chores of the women artisans in villages and as and when they find

time from their daily chores they engage in the job work.

Centralized production centres

Most of the production centres are located in the Chamba town, and are mostly managed

and run by distinguished crafts persons. There is no existing institutional system for

decentralized collection and quality control at the village levels, thus the artisans have to

travel and bring their job works to Chamba. The production systems are monopolized and

3 Besides the member of SHG promoted by DCC, wherein they get regular job-works through a buy-back

arrangements with DCC

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still restricted to recognized master craftsperson or artists like Lalitha Vakil, Vijay and

others who are located in Chamba town.

The job work is paid only when the finished product is accepted for its quality. In case

the quality is not good, the artisan has to take back the work redo it and again travel to

Chamba to get paid for her job work. In the case of local trader, they give the job work to

the artisans and the artisan has to deliver the product to the trader sitting in Chamba. This

relation is informal and is only activated when there is an order with the trader or need to

replenish the stocks at his showroom.

High dependency on master craftsperson for markets

One of the major constraints that limit the participation of poor artisans in the value chain

is their very limited knowledge on existing markets as well as potential markets. Most of

the information on markets (whatever limited) and market linkages are restricted (often as

a business secret) to the master crafts person or the enterprise owners. The only

knowledge and access the poor artisans have is local markets. They are unaware as well

as have no access about the next levels of markets. This delineates them from realizing

on higher returns that are offered at higher level of markets. The additional value or

margins are distributed among the middlemen and traders, without any distribution share

to the primary artisan. As deliberated in the earlier sections, depending on the markets

and buyers the margins are as high as 50% to 100%. The enterprise owner finances the

entire value chain and hence inclined to maximize their returns on investment.

Limited availability of quality designers

The design template is either provided by the buyer or the master crafts person, which is

then needed to be transferred on the fabric. The critical process of making a Chamba

Rumal is that of drafting / painting of designs on the fabric. The process of drafting

determines the quality of end products. There are skilled and trained designers who

transfer the designs on the fabric (before it is sent to the artisan for needle work). As per

estimates there are over 60 regular and 500 part-time artisans who do the needle work

and around 10 good designers drafting the designs. Thus, the number of good quality

designers is not enough to cater to the artisan population. Also, the needs of the markets

are changing which necessitate regular up-gradation of designs and hence the need for re-

skilling of the designers.

ii) Issues that limit the growth of the enterprises

The culture of stipend

The training programmes promoted and supported by various government departments

had very right intensions to create and develop skills among the rural women to help

them augment their household incomes. Through various training batches, over 1000

women and young girls have been trained on kantha or needle work needed for the

Chamba Rumal. To encourage participation of these women from villages and to

compensate for their opportunity cost, these trainings provided a monthly stipend (around

Rs. 500/-). Each such training programme ranges between three to six months (during

which the stipend is paid). These efforts and inputs of various government and other

agencies on trainings have not been optimized to create employment (out of over 1000

22

who have received trainings only around 100 are actively engaged and around 500

engaged as part-time). This has led to non-serious approach by the trainees. Most of these

trainees attend the trainings for the monthly stipend thus making it a supply driven

training rather than need based i.e. demand driven trainings.

Limited access and knowledge on markets

Not much of efforts have been made towards proper marketing of Chamba Rumal. One

of the reasons that can be attributed to this lack of marketing efforts is restricted and

closed knowledge on markets. Owing to high competition among various groups

established and managed by master crafts persons, the market links are closely guarded.

There is no effort towards synergizing the expertise and abilities of different groups to

better address the market demands, orders etc. Also, the markets determine the designs

and quality of the products, which again is very closely protected. The most common

marketing forum for all the groups is exhibitions organized by state and central

government (besides the group promoted by DCC, whose major sales is through a buy-

back arrangement). The potential of skills and craftsmanship of the artisans have not yet

been optimized, owing to limited access and knowledge of market. The crafts are mostly

sold for their cultural and traditional value and have not diversified enough to cater to

contemporary demands of the mainstream markets (especially the growing middle class

in India as well as international markets).

Poor productivity

One of the major challenges Chamba Rumal faces is production efficiency. The job

works are given by the entrepreneurs and traders in Chamba town which in turn is taken

by the artisans to their respective locations. The women artisan after they have completed

their daily chores, spent time to complete this job work. The job work is generally not

time bound and depends largely on the skills and time spent by the artisan. Also, there are

inadequate infrastructure facilities like work-sheds etc. at the village levels, where the

artisans can collectively sit and work. Common work-sheds would essentially facilitate in

bringing in time discipline and hence production efficiencies. Production efficiency is

very critical when dealing with mainstream buyers who have strict timelines and quality

standards.

No standardization

The mainstream markets are very competitive and sensitive to quality and pricing of

products. As of now, there is no standard system for pricing of the products. Besides the

costs of raw materials, the decision on job work rates are based purely on discretion and

calculations of the master crafts persons. A similar piece may have different costs

assigned to job works based on the perceptions and calculations of the master

craftsperson involved. Lack of any standards acts as a barrier for developing good rapport

with the buyers interested in Chamba Rumals. Also the quality parameters differ across

various groups and master crafts persons, which again would be detrimental when

engaging with large mainstream buyers.

Lack of Business orientation

The major challenge in the Chamba Rumal value chain is that the entire value chain

process lack proper business orientation. Very limited management systems exist for

23

managing the inventory, sales and other related costs. Most of the groups lack capacities

of working as efficient enterprises i.e. profit making units. This can mostly be attributed

to the fact that most of these groups (4 prominent groups exist in Chamba4) are managed

by local recognized crafts persons who run these mostly out of self interests or influenced

by any government support. The lack of professional business orientation has been one of

the constraints for optimizing on the potentials of this repository of skills in Chamba.

c. Markets

Although the Chamba Rumal, with its artistic and aesthetic value has great potential for the

niche market, the present scenario is pretty dismal. The market channels available to the

craftspeople involved in the craft is very limited and thus discouraging them to choose this as

their main source of livelihoods.

The markets for Chamba Rumal can be categorized as:

1. Local markets –With little or no access to bigger markets, most of the individual artisans

are supplying to local traders in the area who then supply outside Chamba. The

prominent names are Lalitha Vakil, Kamala Nayyar and Siraj Begum. Most of them are

artisans themselves, with good knowledge of the craft and are the renowned in the area

for it and thus entertain inquiries and orders. To meet the demand, they have set up small

workshops and centres where they teach the craft, providing the raw material and manage

the inventory. Each artisan is paid a stipend during training and later on a piece-rate

basis. However, the production is still very small and limited. Some miniature artists like

Hans Raj Dhiman, who is an established name for providing the design, have also started

retailing the finished products locally.

As the product has much demand during wedding ceremonies and religious rituals; there

is constant local demand which is catered to by the shops in the local markets in Chamba.

The product range, quality and pricing varies greatly in accordance with the buying

capacity of the customers. The local merchants procure their products from individual

artisans paying them according to the quality of the embroidery.

2. Institutional markets: In an effort to provide livelihoods and encourage the languishing

craft, the Central and state government has also initiated training workshops cum

production centres in Chamba, where 8-12 month trainings are held. The H.P State

Handicrafts and Handloom Corporation, District Industries Centre (DIC) and the

Ministry of DRDA, have established centres, where women learn the craft. Along with

providing the raw material, a stipend is paid to the artisans while in training and are later

either paid per piece or according to the amount of embroidery. The finished goods are

sold at their outlets (Rangmahal), catering to local demand and the higher quality ones

are sent to state emporiums. Other example of institutional buyer is that of Delhi Craft

Council- DCC. DCC started a training cum production centre in 2002 in order to meet

4 Group promoted by DCC, informal groups under Lalitha Vakil and Kamala Nayar and SHG managed by Siraj

Begum. Other groups are mostly informal which are activated as and when there is a training

24

revive the craft in the area. Efforts have been made by them to revive the craft and

upgrade the skill and technique of the artisans. Skilled artisans are given orders and paid

per piece for them. DCC has a buy-back arrangement and pays the job work to the

artisans. In an effort to promote the rumal, they have held various exhibitions focusing on

the delicacy of the intricate craft. The sales in year 2007-08 were Rs.1,26,850 for 48

rumals that were sold through the DCC shop in New Delhi, „Kamla‟ and through

exhibitions.

3. Exhibitions & fairs- Some of the prominent craftspeople participate in government and

private exhibitions in metropolitan cities where they can sell directly to the users.

4. Order based buyers- As the Rumal is unique to Chamba and closely so closely linked

with the miniature painting art form, many national and international connoisseurs of the

arts & collectors place individual orders. Unfortunately, the real artisans are normally

unable to get direct linkages with them and the middle men reap the benefit.

d. Institutional Analysis

Raw materials supply - Local Markets

- Delhi Crafts Council

- District Industry Council

- State Handloom Department

- Other markets in Ludhiana and Delhi

(for better quality Raw Materials)

Input Suppliers

Skill development Inputs

- Delhi Crafts Council

- District Industries Centre

- State Handloom Department

- DRDA

- Local Master Crafts persons

Financial Inputs

- Delhi Crafts Council

- Capital and operating costs from

Local Master Crafts-persons

- Advance on orders from the buyer

Design Inputs - Delhi Crafts Council

- Local Master Crafts-persons

- NIFT and other designers

facilitated by DIC and DRDA

Includes designing, transferring of designs on the fabric, kantha work and finishing. Two types of processing units are existing:

a. The group promoted by DCC having 15-20 active women artisans b. Three informal groups managed by the local recognized craftspersons like Lalita Vakil, Kamal Nayar

and Siraj Begum

Processing

Markets ket

Institutional and big retails (Mostly through institutional arrangements like DCC and efforts of the enterprise owner i.e. the master crafts-persons)

Local markets Mostly catering to tourists market in Chamba. They have their own supply chain and these local markets finance their respective supply chains and efforts of the enterprise owner i.e. the master crafts-persons)

International buyers Mostly restricted to art connoisseurs who have direct links with the master crafts persons in Chamba. No long term linkages with exporters and international mainstream markets

26

Institutional players in the Chamba Rumal value chain

The institutional players or stakeholders influencing the Chamba Rumal value chain are

broadly categorized as:

1. Input suppliers

2. Processing units

3. Markets

1. Input suppliers

Input suppliers are further categorized as: raw material suppliers, financial inputs,

skill input suppliers and design inputs. These input suppliers have specific role and

they influence the entire value chain. Raw materials are mostly procured by the unit

manager or owner (who are mostly recognized artisans) either locally or from other

markets like Delhi and Ludhiana, depending upon the needs of the buyers and the

markets. DCC procures raw materials from Delhi and sends it to their group in

Chamba. The raw materials once procured are handed over to the job workers. Most

of the poor artisans are also engaged as trainees in various training batches supported

by government departments like District Handloom Department, DRDA, District

Industries Centre (DIC) etc. During the training programmes the raw material is

supplied by the promoters and the finished good is procured.

There are very limited suppliers for providing financial services to these artisans.

Most of value chains are financially supported by the promoters like DCC or are

financed by the owner of the unit. Though two of the units have formally organized

the artisans as SHGs who have initiated savings and loaning among the group

members; but this is very limited and mostly used for household consumptive uses

rather than financing the value chain. The other sources of finance are the buyers who

place orders. These buyers pay up some advances which are used for procuring raw

materials and for covering up few other costs.

One of the critical inputs is that of designs. Most of the design inputs are provided by

the master crafts person or the buyer who places orders. The cost for designers is paid

by the master crafts-person (owner of the enterprise) through the advance (if it is

order placed by a buyer) or paid up by the owner (which is realized when the products

are sold). DRDA has also supported the designers from expert institutions like NIFT

to provide design inputs to the groups. The experts were attached to few groups to

work with them and develop new product prototypes. However, such expert

contemporary design inputs are still in their nascent stages (prototypes have been

developed and are being market tested before they are transferred to the artisans).

2. Processing Units

Most of the processing is managed and owned by the local master crafts persons. The

kantha/needle work is mostly sub-contracted to artisans on a job work basis. The

master craftsperson is also responsible for finishing and quality check of the finished

goods. Post finishing the product is dry-cleaned/washed and finally marketed. These

are mostly informal groups and are only activated when there is an order or job work.

DCC has created a SHG of artisans who are trained and engaged as job-workers.

Similarly one of the master craftsperson has organized the artisans as SHGs. DRDA

27

has identified various women based SHGs of the artisans however, most of these are

non-functional.

3. Markets

As discussed under the section of markets, there are four categories of players to

provide marketing support: institutional markets like DCC, exhibitions organized by

the state and central governments and local markets and international buyers. The

majority of the sales is through exhibitions and secondly international market

linkages (that the master crafts persons have developed along the years). Though the

market and sales information are kept very secretive as this is directly linked to any

support extended by the government and other funding agencies. Also owing to heavy

competition these market linkages and volumes of sales are closely protected by the

unit owners and managers.

e. Expected Change in Value Chain through Interventions

Producer Business Groups

at village levels

Producer Business Groups at village levels

Tier I Inputs: - Organising the artisans as Producer

Business Groups and aggregation of produce

- Skill development - Design and skill inputs - Introducing standards and systems - Business Development support - Financial services - Infrastructure requirements

Producer Collective of

the artisans

Group Based enterprises at

Chamba

Tier II

Local Markets and Traders

Inputs: - Management Support

systems - Market information and

linkages - Standardization - Design inputs - EDP skills

MARKETS

Exp. Service

Providers

Support Agencies and

Donors

Tier III

Inputs: - Liaisoning and

establishing linkages - Provide platforms for

market interface - Information generation,

management and dissemination

Entire p

rocess w

ill be facilitated

by a S

pecialized

team o

f

pro

fessionals i.e. S

PA

RC

(Sm

all Pro

ducers A

ssistance

Reso

urce C

entre)

28

VII. Chamba Rumal Cluster Business Development Plan

Summary

Chamba

Artisans currently practicing the craft 60

Artisans surveyed 500

Total artisans to be incorporated by year 5 500

The relatively small number of artisans in the cluster, the time-intensiveness of the

Chamba Rumal production process, and the historical profile dictate a strategy of

positioning the cluster as a high-quality, high-end product segment. AIACA will

undertake a series of interventions under the AHVY scheme that are based on four key

objectives: increasing the number of working artisans in the cluster; increasing number of

working days and wages of each artisan; developing new product lines better suited to

high-end markets; and creating new market linkages to high-end market segments.

ACCESS and AIACA have developed the following 4 primary strategies to achieve the

core objectives listed above: work with existing entrepreneurs in the cluster to help them

scale up their operations; create an artisans‟ collective to mobilize new artisans and

develop an artisan-owned production structure in the cluster; provide a range of Business

Artisans

linked to 4

existing

entrepreneur

s

Unlinked and non-

working artisans

Phase 1

Skill Development Training

Registration of

local artisans

society

Design and product development workshops

Marketing

assistance

Phase 2

Scale up number

of artisans in

society

Exhibitions for brand-

building and market

exposure

Create common

facility center for

artisans

Financing linkage for working

capital

Create

marketing

materials: brochure,

website

Tradeshow participation

and linkages to commercial

buyers

Mobilization and

trust-building

with new

artisans

Phase 3

Chamba Rumal Timeline

Chamba Rumal – Summary of Main Issues

29

Development Services and handholding support to enable the artisans‟ collective and

entrepreneurs to become commercially sustainable and scale up; and developing brand

“Chamba Rumal” through a series of design development, publicity and marketing

initiatives.

1. Objectives of Intervention

ACCESS and AIACA‟s objectives in intervening in the Chamba Rumal Cluster will be

guided by the principles of scaling up to reach the maximum number of artisans,

increasing artisan welfare and promoting commercially sustainable production and

marketing structures in the cluster. Based on these principles, the following will be the

main objectives of intervening in the cluster:

Objective 1: Increase number of working artisans in the cluster

As highlighted in the value chain analysis, there are currently only approximately 60

artisans who are linked to regular value chains in Chamba Rumal through the existing

entrepreneurs and trader network. The primary objective of intervention will be to

increase the number of Chamba Rumal artisans who are working on a regular basis as

part of a value chain that connects them to markets. ACCESS and AIACA will target a

total of 500 artisans to be made part of the value chain by year 4 of the intervention.

Objective 2: Increase number of working days and wages of each artisan

In addition to increasing the number of artisans, ACCESS and AIACA will seek to

increase the total income of each artisan through increasing the number of working

days and wages per artisan. This will involve developing higher end products that can

be sold for higher prices; creating commercially sustainable linkages to mainstream

markets; and bringing greater transparency to bear on interactions between artisans,

traders and entrepreneurs in the cluster.

Objective 3: Develop new product lines more suited to urban markets.

Diversifying the product mix and improving product quality will be key to raising

sales of products based on the traditional skill of Chamba Rumal embroidery.

ACCESS and AIACA will seek to develop an entire new product profile for the

cluster through market trend analysis and design and product development inputs. In

doing so, care will be taken to ensure that the essential characteristics of the Chamba

Rumal craft genre are not lost.

Objective 4: Create market linkages to multiple market segments, especially

higher-end domestic and export markets.

Increasing sales and wages of artisans will depend not only developing new products,

but also on ensuring that such product developed can be sold at higher price points.

ACCESS and AIACA will work towards linking the cluster actors to high-end markets

within India and in export markets, especially in the Unites States and Europe.

These objectives will be the main criteria used in tracking project progress and evaluating

the success of the intervention.

30

2. Intervention Strategies

To achieve the objectives listed above, ACCESS and AIACA will primarily use the

following strategies while intervening in the cluster:

Strategy 1: Scale up existing entrepreneurs

The skilled artisans in the cluster, who are also the only artisans in the cluster who

have regular work during the year, are linked to one of the four entrepreneurs

operating in Chamba. These entrepreneurs and the artisans linked with them represent

the best opportunity to develop higher end product lines within the cluster, as newly

trained artisans will not be in a position to create such product until they have acquired

sufficient work experience and skills.

Any intervention that seeks to increase the number of artisans and improve their

incomes will thus have to engage with these entrepreneurs. ACCESS and AIACA

will seek to work with the existing entrepreneurs to help them scale up by providing

them with design and product development services, marketing assistance and various

other Business Development Services (BDS).

Assistance to the entrepreneurs will be conditional on them taking steps to increase

artisan welfare. ACCESS and AIACA will negotiate with them to have them formally

register their businesses, have rolls that clearly show which artisans in the cluster are

working for them, commit to increasing the number of artisans linked to them and

bringing transparency in wage payments to the artisans associated with them.

Strategy 2: Create new artisans’ collective to mobilize and link new artisans

In addition to working with the existing entrepreneurs, ACCESS and AIACA will

work towards developing a federated organization of artisans in the cluster – in the

form of a producers company or a society – so as to create a commercially sustainable,

artisan-owned production and marketing structure in the cluster. This will enable

ACCESS and AIACA to mobilize 500 new artisans over the project period and create

a production structure that will balance out the dominance of existing entrepreneurs in

the cluster.

Strategy 3: Provide Business development Services and Infrastructural Support

to enable commercial sustainability and scaling up

Handholding and BDS support will be provided to both the artisan‟s collective as well

as existing entrepreneurs to help them become commercially sustainable and scale up.

The main support services provided at the cluster level will be skill-building

workshops for enhancing skills of new artisans, design and product development

workshops to develop new products, and financial linkages for working capital credit.

The artisans‟ collective will also be provided with infrastructural and additional

working capital support through the AHVY scheme.

Strategy 4: Developing “Chamba Rumal” and “Chamba Embroidery” brands

and creating new market linkages.

ACCESS and AIACA will work toward developing a brand for the Chamba Rumal

cluster that will be the foundation of enhancing linkages with commercial buyers and

increasing total sales from the cluster. Brand-building initiatives will include

developing new product ranges, developing a set of marketing materials including a

31

web-site and product catalogue, holding a series of exhibitions in key markets to

publicize new product profile of Chamba Rumal, and representation of Chamba

embroidery products at trade fairs in India and abroad.

3. Interventions under AHVY scheme

Based on the above objectives and strategies, the following interventions will be needed

under the AHVY scheme:

i) Training of Artisans (for Handicrafts)

Given that currently, only approximately 50 skilled artisans have been working

regularly as part of existing value chains, skill-building trainings will be essential to

scale up the number of artisans capable of producing quality products. To bring in

500 new artisans, all 500 will require training and skill-building inputs over the

project period. ACCESS and AIACA will undertake skill-building in a phased

manner. 5 training workshops will be held annually for a four year period to cover

500 artisans, who will be brought into the artisan collective.

ii) Integrated Design and Technical Development Project

A significant design investment will be needed to diversify the product profile of the

cluster from only rumals. An integrated design and technical development project

will be initiated in year 1 of the project. ACCESS and AIACA will identify

appropriate designers and hold a series of workshops in the cluster to develop a

number of new product ranges covering different product and market segments.

Efforts will made to diversify the base skill into scarves, shawls, jackets and a range

of other high-end products. Efforts will also be made to diversify raw materials used

from cotton to higher end fabrics such as silk and silk-cotton blends.

iii) Design and Technical Development Workshops

The Integrated Design and Technical Development Workshops will be augmented by

an annual Design and Technical Development workshops over a five year period to

continue the process of design development and to oversee and fine-tune the

production of new designs developed.

iv) Organizing Exhibitions

ACCESS and AIACA will organize a series of exhibitions in major Indian metros to

enhance consumer awareness of Chamba Rumal, market-test new product ranges and

increase sales of artisans in the cluster. In addition, AIACA will also work on

representation of products from the cluster in existing exhibitions across the country

such the Dastkar Nature Bazaar. Selected artisans will be taken to the exhibitions so

that they can directly interact with customers, get product feedback and also gain

exposure to retail outlets in the major metros.

v) Publicity Materials – Catalogues and Website

ACCESS and AIACA will develop marketing and publicity materials to help build

the Chamba Rumal brand and to enhance awareness of both commercial buyers and

end consumers of the product profile, characteristics and craft production process. A

web-site for the cluster will be created, which will be handed over for operation to the

artisans‟ collective. New products developed will also be featured in commercial

product catalogues which will be distributed to AIACA‟s network of domestic buyers

32

as well as importers across the world. In year 1 and 2, new products developed will be

featured as a section in the Craftmark product catalogue. In year 3, a dedicated

product catalogue for the Chamba cluster will be developed.

vi) Entrepreneurship Development Program

Selected Artisans will be taken for the India Market Readiness Program (IMRP)

organized by Aid to Artisans and AIACA in Delhi in conjunction with the India

Handicrafts and Gift Fair (IHGF). 2 artisans per year from the artisans‟ collective will

be put through the training program every year for three years to create a cadre of

trained professionals to run the collective.

vii) Trade Fair Participation

The new products developed in the cluster will be represented at three trade fairs -

IHGF, the New York Gift Fair (NYGF) and Ambiente, Frankfurt – so as to create

linkages with commercial buyers and generate bulk orders. Two artisan

representatives from the collective will also be taken to the IHGF to train them in

participating in trade fairs.

viii) Computer, Printer and Internet Connection for Artisan Society

A computer, printer and internet connection will be provided to the Artisan‟s

collective through the project so as to enable them to interact with commercial buyers

and generate required paperwork for managing customer orders and sales.

ix) Warehousing and Common Workshed for Artisan Society

Storage and office space, as well as a common workshed will be provided to the

artisans collective through AHVY scheme to enable the Artisan Society to start

functioning and to scale up to cover a greater number of artisans.

x) Margin Money and Credit Guarantee support for Artisan Society

Margin money support and credit guarantees will be provided to the artisans‟

collective to enable them to raise working capital, service customer orders and scale

up production over the course of the project.

xi) Salary for Cluster Manager

A cluster manager will be hired to manage all initiatives at the cluster level, provide

logistical support to Access and AIACA, and provide handholding support for the

artisan collective.

4. Project Output Targets

The following will be the primary project targets over a five-year period:

Increase number of functioning artisans in the cluster to 500 artisans

Increase total sales revenue from cluster to 2.5 crores a year by the end of

project period.

Four new product ranges developed; product profile extended from rumals to

other product segments.

20 new commercial bulk buyers linked to project cluster by end of project

period.

33

30% increase in number of working days and incomes of functioning artisans

in the cluster.