HANDICRAFT

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© Ministry of Economic Development and Trade

Published by;Ministry of Economic Development and TradeGhazee BuildingMale'Republic of Maldivese-mail; contact@trademin.gov.mvwebsite: www.trademin.gov.mv

2007

Compiled and edited by:Mohamed Luveiz

Written by:

Proof read by:Hassan Nizam

Cover Design and Layout :Abdulla Ziyath

Photography:Abdulla Ziyath, Mohamed Nizal

Ahmed Zakariyya, Mariyam Nisha, Aishath Rasha

Enterprise Development UnitMinistry of Economic Development and Trade

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The Authors are grateful for thecooperation and sharing ofknowledge extended by all thoseconsulted.

Special thanks to:

Ahmed Shafeeg for his invaluablec o n t r i b u t i o n m a d e t o t h ehandicraft and cottage industrythrough his work on

.

David Holbourne; Handicrafts andcottage industry of Maldives. 1990.

DhivehiMasakai therikan

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In the past Maldivian craftsmanship had aregional reputation of excellence reachingas far as the Arab nations. However, withthe quick progress of industrializationfollowed by the opening of markets in theMaldives seeing a significant influx ofcheap, foreign-produced handicrafts, thesector has fallen into obscurity. As studieshave shown, some of the major reasons forthis development involve comparativedisadvantages of the Maldives (hightranspor tat ion costs, f ragmentedgeography of an island state, scarcity ofraw materials, limited workforce),explosive growth of the tourism sectorand the related construction industry,which has absorbed all craftsmenavailable in the market, and availability ofcheap, imported handicraft products inthe Maldives produced in other Asiancountr ies with comparat ive andcompetitive advantages.

Traditionally handicraft in the Maldivesinclude mat weaving, embroidery (kasabuboavalhu libaas), coir making and lacquerwork. It is believed that each of these skillsare confined to certain geographichregions, atolls or islands.

The island of Gadhdhoo in Gaafu DhaaluAtoll for instance is renowned for its finehand-woven mats made of dried hau(rushes) used for prayer mats and as adecoration. The finest lacquer work is saidto be found on Thulaadhoo, in Baa Atoll.Wooden pots, boxes and vases of allshapes and sizes display beautiful abstractpatterns in red, black and yellow.Rin'budhoo in Dhaalu Atoll is famous forits goldsmiths while Hulhudeli in the sameAtoll is well known for its silversmiths.

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However with cer ta in init iat ivesengineered by private sector individualsthere have been a number of changes inthe production aspects of these products.More and more, shop owners areoutsourcing the production of crafts tonearby islands where their costs are lower.Others simply buy products whichresemble the Asian culture and exhibitthem in their outlets for which there is ahigh demand from unsuspecting touristsas well as those who do not care as long asthe product is of an exotic nature.Consequently we find that localhandicrafts are being replaced by theinflux of cheap imports from abroad, andhitting local producers who are lesscompetitive in the market.

The research encompassed in thecompilation of the book involves bothprimary and secondary data collectionwhich was exercised by a 6 personnelteam from the Enterprise DevelopmentU n i t o f M i n i s t r y o f E c o n o m i cDevelopment and Trade. To this effect outof the 200 inhabited islands in theMaldives, 90% of the island offices wereinter viewed. The main source ofinformation was through telephone

i n t e r v i e w s w i t h I s l a n d C h i e f s .Furthermore, three retailers of handicraftsin Male' were interviewed. The officialreport of the Industrial Exhibition of 1996was also reviewed.

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According to literature review done indocuments such as official report of theMaldives Industrial Exhibition organizedby the then Ministry of Trade andIndustries, the categories of handicraftitems produced in the Maldives fall intothe following categories.

1. Lacquer work2. Wood carving3. Stone carving4. - Specialised

form of wood carving5. Mat weaving

6. - Coir rope workincluding floor mats.

8. - Textileproduction

9. - Jewelry work

10. -

11. Embroidery work12. Fabric Painting13. Other forms of weaving

15. Ilosheege masaiykaiy - eeklework

16. Blacksmith, Goldsmith andsilvermiths

17. Crafting dhoani18. household utensils includingspoons, fork, stirrer, lid and cutting mat.

Dhigu haru liyun

Roanuveshun

Feyraanviyun

Gahanaa hedhun

Naasheege masaiykaiyIncluding work of shell, pearls

craftingof souvenirs such as necklaces,vases, dhoni from coconutshells

- Rukufanun thakethi ufedhdhun- Rukufanthi work

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A survey of the atolls on individualproducts crafted in the atolls, generatedthrough telephone interviews with IslandChiefs in the atolls revealed that theamount of craft items currently producedhave significantly reduced to 40 itemswhich are presented below.

1. Fangi2. Kunaa (aadhaige)3. Thun’du kunaa4. Saanthi5. Sataa6. Floor mat7. Mulhoashi8. Pot9. Goshi10. Halani11. Baiypolhi12. Feyli13. Vashi14. Coir rope15. Libaahu hiru16. Pillow17. Lacquer products18. Fabric paints

19. Local broom20. Raabadhi21. Masgon’di22. Kudhi dhoni23. Traditional eekle broom24. Foiy gon’di25. Coconut scraper (Hunigondi

and Thagari)26. Ulaa, Samusaa aai

un’dhulhi27. Diyahikkaa fai28. Foah valhi29. Valhi, Kathivalhi, Furoa,

Odaa30. Anchor31. Fanaa32. Shell necklace33. Traditional iron (aluminum)34. Jewelry from pearland shell35. Traditional hook36. Jewelry from coconut shell37. Malaafaiy38. Masdhan’di39. Gonu40. Dhaani un’bu

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laa thelhun

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The lacquer is drawn and beaten in twoways. One way is to heat the requiredamount of lacquer in the fire, take it outand put it on a piece of wood when itsmelted and to smash it into small pieceswith a wooden baton before the hotlacquer cools down. In this process, thelacquer will keep on melting from theheat.

When the lacquer can be stretched like athread, then colour is added (if required)and the lacquer is continually smashed sothat the color gets through to all parts ofthe lacquer.

The other method of preparing thelacquer is to take a small piece of lacquer inthe hand and to heat it in the fire. When itstarts to melt, more lacquer is added to themelting lacquer and is molded in to ashape by the hand. Colour can be added ifrequired during this process. When thecolour has been added, then the lacquercan be sliced according to the shape andsize required. (Thickness=1/8 inch,width=1/2 inch, length=3-4inch)

The lacquer that is imported into theMaldives is divided into two types by theMaldivian craftsmen. They are powderedlacquer (locally called “kundi laa”) andlacquer bar (locally called “Fothi Laa” fromwhich lacquer bar is used mostly for thepurpose of making handicraft items.

Maldivian craftsmen have yet not definedthe exact proportion of colours to bemixed when colouring the lacquer. In theold days, three colours were always usedto colour the lacquer. For a lighter colour,yellow was used, and for a darker colour,black was used. A Maldivian herbalmedicine in the name of wasused to bring out the light colours.A substance called was used to makered colour. The (lightness-darkness) of thecolour depends on how much uguli isused and fashurisseu can be used to makethe colour lighter.Black colour is brought by lighting an oillantern to a piece of ceramic tile andcollecting the black tar (remains of smoke)collected on the tile. The most prominentcolour used in the coloring of lacquer isthe black colour. However, in more recentdays, ready-made colour is used to designthe lacquer instead of making the colourby scratch. From these ready-madecolours, oil colour is known to be betterthan other types. Gold and silver dust isalso used to make the lacquer design lookmore beautiful.

Fashurisseu

Uguli

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Laa fenkurun

faalees kurun

rankaru.

Laa hingun

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aa jehun

dhigu haru bomakandhu

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Thun'du kunaa

Thun'du kunaa or mat weaving is one ofthe most prominent, if not the most, ofMaldivian craftsmanship. These mats areused traditionally for sleeping, seating orpraying. Only a knife (used for splittingscrew-pine leaves) is used for makingkunaa besides the loom of wood withthe reed of split bamboo. At present, thewarp for the cheaper mats are made byunpicking plyproplyne sacks.

Fine pattern grass kunaa from G.Dh.Gadhdhoo were used as royal gifts in thepast when these mats were given as giftsto the Dutch and British governors ofCeylon from the Sultan of Maldives.These were sometimes trimmed withgold lace work. At present grass mats aregiven to foreign dignitaries as gifts.Designers of tourist resorts and hotelsuse kunaa as floor mats and wall

hangings. They are very popular assouvenirs to tourists too.

Kunaa weavers cultivate their own grassand collect the leaves and roots whichare used for dyeing. The designs in thesekunaa are in four colors – natural, yellow,brown and black. The bark of the 'uni'tree is dried and powdered to prepareground dye. To make the black dye, thebrown-dyed grass is first soaked on a bedof uni leaves until the water evaporates.This grass is then boiled in a mixture ofcoconut oil and water. The liquor is left tocool till the water evaporates. This wholeprocess is repeated three times afterwhich the grass is washed in the sea anddried in the shade. To prepare the yellowdye pieces of root from the 'ahi' tree aresoaked, then boiled together with thegrass for about two hours. After whichthe grass is boiled in liquor of fresh water,sea water, and ground turmeric for aboutan hour. To prepare natural color, thegrass is bleached in the sun for a week.

These mats are woven to traditionalpatterns with small variations which areusually introduced by individual weavers.Sleeping mats, prayer mats, swing seatmats, etc each have specific patterns.Each of these patterns have a name suchas 'cutlines design', 'lockmat', 'large mat''dhigulu kunaa', 'gon'di kunaa' and'namaadhu kunaa', etc.

Beauty and complexity of the designusually determine the price of thesemats.

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Feyli viyun

Traditionally, has been a part ofMaldivian dress and has been a part ofthe Maldivian culture for a long time withrecords even as far as 1340s. Feyli wasworn both by men and women inMaldives during the monarchy. Menwore the materials on formal occasionswhile women wore it both formally andinformally.

Three different types of Feyli are foundcategorized on the basis of theirmeasurements and are as follows;

1. - which was part of theformal wear of both men and women.2. - which was

normally worn by men, and3. – which wasnormally worn by women as a wraparound

Note: Bolu Feyli and HatharufatheegeFeyli were designed separately for highranking officials and common people.

Another basis of categorization werebased on the names given to them forofficial occasions, and they are as follows;

1. Unandhin Feyli or Unu EndhiFeyli

2. Mathee Feyli3. Bolu Feyli4. Raiy Feyli (gus Feyli)5. Bolu Feyli (Thuni Feyli)6. Dholhi Feyli7. Hikadhi Feyli

Apart from the use of feyli as a part of theNational Dress of women and for thepurpose of cultural events, feyli has notbeen worn in recent years. Feyli wasmostly worn during the monarchy, morespecifically up till 1932.

During the monarchy when the feyli wasmostly used, it was generally worn byofficials in the military, those in politics,sheikhs (religious leaders) and aristocrats.When completing the official dress code,feyli was worn around the head, waistand hand accordingly.

It was also worn by Maldivian delegateswhen representing Maldives in foreigncountries. It was also used as a flagmarking the tents of Maldivian pilgrimsduring Hajj.

feyli

Bolu Feyli

Thinfatheege Feyli

Hatharufatheege Feyli

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The main part of the feyli weaving processis the , the machinery used forweaving. Parts of the machinery and othermaterials needed for weaving are listedbelow.

Those listed above are used in differentquantities for varying types of Feyli andsome other items not listed are also usedduring the process.

Since the feyli is made from cotton or 'ui',the first step in the weaving process is toprepare the required amount of materialfor the process. The masters of feyliweavers use a combination of the mostfine material and cotton which is just a tadbit thicker in a ratio of 4:3 respectively.Also, since the feyli is made up of threecolors, the material has to be colored first.

The three colors used in the Feyli arebrown; black and white used in the ratio4:1 1/2:1 ½ respectively.

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1. Dhathi2. Kaali (a type ofwooden frame)3. Saraka (wheel)4. Kolhu mathee5. Ulha dhathi6. Viyaa Nolhi7. Obi8. Bonbi9. Bamun10. Ulha haru

11. Ven haru12. Firoashi13. Ulhadhathi14. Ven15. Nolhi16. Theyri17. Loakashi18. Thathun19. Kani20. Mushigandu

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During the weaving process the differentparts of the machine is adjusted accordingto the colors used in the feyli.

The part of the Feyli that is the mostimportant and that shows off the creativityof the weaver is the “kolhumathi”, the topand the bottom of the feyli, which isworked on with jewels according to a setdesign.

The special feature of the bolu feyli and theartistry of the weaver is shown by thedifferent designs made on the feyli with

(needlework using gold and silverthread, the original of which is veryexpensive and of very high quality).

The color, measurement and design ofdifferent types of feyli described above arebased on the current trend of how feyli isworn in the Maldives.

Many other types of Feyli, other than thoseused as a wrap around, have a varyingnumber of colors. Information on howthese colors were combined and used arevery rare and in fact, in the case of the bolufeyli (head scarf ) information on thecombination of colors, the intense

amount of work done to make it shiny andsparkling are now almost non-existent.

During the “golden days” of the feyli,islands such as Dhevvadhu, Fodhdhu andKachcheymidhu were famous for itscolour combination and workings withkasabu. In recent time, Baa AtollEydhafushi is well known for its feyliweaving.

On average, it takes about 30 minutes toweave a wrap around feyli. Apparently,with time allocations, one feyli gets wovenin 3 days time. It is impossible to learn toweave by reading about it as it is to writeand tell all about it. It would take at least 6months intense training to learn how toweave the feyli.

kasabu

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Sataa saanthi

Fungi

and are crafted bydiagonally weaving screw pine leaves.The fundamental difference between thetwo is that for the former, coarse stripsare applied in contrast to the fine stripsused in the production of saanthi. Historyshows that these products areembedded in the Maldivian culturewhere these are used for sleeping andseating purposes.

Overtime the craft have evolved andhave been successfully adapted in touristresorts where they are used for ceilingpanels.

are panels of plaited cadjan orpalm fronds, traditionally used for fences,walls and roofing of houses in islands. Atpresent, fungi are mainly used for roofingin resorts.

The hard portion of spine of palm frondor the woody skeleton of the coconutpalms are used in various arts of basketry.Like lacquer work, Baa Atoll is renownedfor the art. Historically householdproducts such as covers for food, sievesand winnowers are forms of basketry.

Like sataa and saanthi, basketry hasdeveloped to encompass products suchas waste baskets, shades for lamps,containers for fruits, etc.

The outer fibre of coconuts and twine arehand-twisted to produce coir rope whichhas been commonly used in boats andthe construction of ‘fungi’ houses orother similar uses of rope or twine.

Modern uses of coir are in the productionof fungi in tourist resorts. The productionprocess is such husks are retted for aperiod of a month after which they arebeaten with a club made from woodwhich separates the fibre and the non-usable material. After washing anddrying and rolling into slubs the fibre arespun into coir on the thighs and they aredoubled by use of hand through the useof a forked stick.

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In the ancient days, corals are used as amaterial to build durables. Corals havebeen used in construction of mosque,walls and in mound. It is also used in themaking of tombstones.

Most commonly used tool in Maldivianstone carving are , drill,hammer, wooden baton and rasp.

There are three ways of stone carving inconstruction of a building or produce anitem. One way is by smoothing theedges. Large coral piece could also beput in the stand (dhiguharu) to producedesired texture.

Corals are also carved with(a stand). In all these carving

methods, raw corals are easier to workwith and most cases corals are left in thesea and part by part are removed andtaken to work with.

furoa odaa,

bomakandhuharu

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In Dhivehi language blacksmith is referredas Maldivian use metalssuch as copper and aluminum to createobjects.

Blacksmith is one of the ancient craftworks that reflects Maldivian heritage andis carried out by many Maldivian artisans.

Tools used in fishery, agriculture, carpentryand are products of Maldivianblacksmiths. Blacksmiths create suchproducts as light fixtures, tools, cookingutensils, fishing hooks, iron anchor, nails,kitchen and farm knives and axes. A skilledblacksmith can, with minimal effort, makea sophisticated product that looks goodand demonstrates ingenuity.

First coins used in Maldivian economywere also made by local blacksmiths andthis government trade mark wasproduced only by a governmentauthorized and appointed person.

With the introduction of electricity, thisw o r k h a s s e e n a t r e m e n d o u sdevelopment in the tools used as well asthe methods. How ever, blacksmiths in theearly days were carried in a very unsafemanner, without taking any safetyprecautions.

People from Addu atoll are famous fortheir blacksmith.

Tools generally used by blacksmith arelisted below;

a)b)c)d) (Hammer)e)f )g)h) Sawi) andj)

Blacksmiths work by heating pieces ofwrought iron or steel in a forge until themetal becomes soft enough to be shapedwith tools such as a hammer. Heating isaccomplished by the use of a forge fueledby coal, charcoal or coke. Colour isimportant for indicating the temperatureand workability of the metal.Sometimes the metals are heated,liquefied and poured into desired pre-structured cast/swage/frame.

Kanburuverikan.

raaverikan,

GirunbaaUndhunKirunuMushiViruvaa unbuThagganduDhathi

Handas KakuniFeeru

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Welding is the joining of metals of thesame or similar kind such that there is novisible joint. A mix of water, copperpowder, to a pre defined proportion ispoured into the joint and then the mix isheated or burnt. Joints could also bewelded by using the mix of silica

and clay

Depending on the intended use and thequality of the piece a blacksmith mayfinish an item in a number of ways. Raspcould be used to bring a simple finishwhere as sand paper and other specializedchemicals could be used to bring a shiningfinish to the piece

Blacksmith used engraving to decorateand inscribe metalwork. Most commonlyused tool in hand engraving is chisels.

(Fulhithoshi) (eetu kundi).

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Marketing channels vary from onegeographical location to another. Islandssuch as Thulhaadhoo are blessed withresort islands nearby who takes up areasonable proportion of the totalproduction. Furthermore, an island whichhas resorts in close proximity has theopportunity to exhibit their artisanship totourists traveling on excursions to theseislands. The survey findings on the subjectof channels of distribution of handicraftsacross the country revealed that therewere 7 major channels –

1. Male',2. Resorts,3.Within the island,

4. Made to order,5. Nearby islands,6. Souvenir shops and7. To the Maldives Industrial Exhibitionwhich is held by the then Ministry of Tradeand Industry.

Sales of products within the island and tonearby islands represent those islandswhich have a productive or brand imageand thus a competitive edge in a particulartype of craft such as Thulhaadhoo in BaaAtoll.

Due to the geophysical nature of theMaldives and the strong clustering ofresorts nearby Male' means that sales tothe capital represent a fair amountwhereby products are procured bymiddlemen and channeled to souvenirshops both in Male' and the resorts.

Direct sales to resort islands comprise ofkey products such as sataa and basketrywhereby the production of suchhandicrafts are organized through formalm e c h a n i s m s s u c h a s w o m e n ' scommittees or island offices. Suchhandicrafts are largely used for decorativeaspects such as 'fangi' for roofing andbasketry utilized in restaurants, etc.

As depicted in the graph below, direct saleto souvenir shops ranked the lowesttogether with products represented in theindustrial exhibition and sales to nearbyislands following closely.

Marketing Channels

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Direct sales to tourist resorts and made toorder category ranked equally in the topwith both the categories comprising 40%of the total sales. Sales to Male' followedwith 17% and yet lower percentage of14% represented by the category of saleswithin the island.

It should be noted that the category of

products sold within the island (whichcomes to 14% of the total) includes thosesold to tourists visiting the islands onexcursions from near by resorts.

The chart below represents means bywhich handicraft producers sell theirproducts.

As identified by Holbourne (1990) thetypical scenario in small islands is that withthe exception of those few who work forthe government, most operate as self-employed. It is a common phenomenonthat a significant proportion of craftsmenand women have secondary sources ofemployment which they resort todepending on the availability of time.

Production of handicrafts in the Maldivesis exercised heavily as family businesses.This is especially so in relation to productssuch as lacquer ware in Baa Atoll wheremost productions are based on familyunits with the exception of instanceswhereby friends of family are sometimesbrought into the circle in apprenticeshipprogrammes.

Another key revelation is that certainproducts are highly dominated by mensuch as lacquer ware and blacksmithingwhilst others are heavily dominated bywomen like making of rope, works of goldlacing in traditional dresses known askasab, etc.

Profit-sharing operations are common tooespecially in relation to building of boatswhere these operations are fundamentallyoperated on a temporary basis andseldom on a permanent means.

Research shows that there are manyskilled craftsmen and women in theislands that have been studied. As arguedby Mr. Mohamed Nizam, Island Chief ofGA. Gemanafushi, “We have significantnumber of handicraft producers whocould use traditional skills and materials toproduce handicraft. However the influx ofcheap imports and the resultantdeterioration in their competitiveness inthe industry have led to these workerstransforming to other types of professionswhich are more favourable”.

It is not only the case with Gemanafushi,but a wide array of islands such as N.M a r a d h o o, H a . I h av a n d h o o, Th .Hirilandhoo and the like, who have thenecessary skills, ability and resources toproduce traditional handicraft products.

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Like all open economies in the world,Maldives too have had a share of effectsf rom the globa l phenomena ofglobalization. The demand for moremodern products such as tailoredclothing, complex housing needs and theincrease in the service industry in theMaldives has led to a decline in thenumber of people producing traditionalhandicrafts in the country.

Even though there is a market for thesetraditional handicrafts, with the increase inthe number of tourists visiting the country,the labour force decline has impacted thehandicraft industry immensely. Decreasedproduction led to the import of goodsfrom nearby countries, which has yetagain created a subsequent problem bybeing demanded more by the customerscompared to the more expensive localproducts made from imported rawmaterials with little labour.

Some of the weaknesses and threatsfacing the handicraft industry in Maldivesinclude;

Little product innovation – producers arenot completely aware of the tastes of themodern tourists and continue to use toolsand machinery that have been used sincethe beginning that have become lessproductive and hence, it has been difficult

for the Maldivian handicraft industry togain a competitive advantage over othernearby countries where more modern andupgraded technology are used.

The loca l handicra f t i tems areconsiderably more expensive than thoseimported. As a result, tourist shops in Male'and those in the island have a higherdemand for cheap imported handicraftt h a n t h o s e p r o d u c e d b y l o c a lh a n d i c r a f t s m e n .

Lack of raw materials needed in theproduction is also one of the main factorsaffecting the industry today. For instance,lacquer work is one of the areas in thehandicraft industry that has the mostdemand from the locals as well as thetourists. However, lacquer, being animported product contributes to the highprice demanded by craftsmen and in turnleads to decrease in popularity and thes w i t c h t o i m p o r t e d g o o d s .

Since the handicraft industry in theMaldives currently lacks to produce astable source of income for the producers,they are unwilling to leave the jobs thatcurrently provide a steady flow of incomeand switch to crafting.

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According to a research done by the ADB(2006), Maldivian handicrafts currentlyhave a local market share of less than 1 %according to wholesalers. Nevertheless,local stakeholder working in the sector orrelated sectors, see a significant potentialfor locally produced handicrafts especiallyin the demand from tourists. According tothe report which was based on interviewswith handicraft producers, wholesalers,retailers and the Maldivian Association ofTourism Industry (MATI) it was establishedthat the handicrafts sector has a potentialestimated volume of US$ 30million a year,with the potential to grow up to US$ 50million within the next five years.

These figures are based upon thefollowing calculation: 600,000 touristscurrently visit the Maldives annuallyspending an estimated US$ 50 per personfor souvenirs/handicrafts. With more thanthirty new resorts under construction or inplanning conservative estimates of theTourism Industry predict 1,000,000 touristarrivals in 2010.

A snapshot query amongst tourists in tworesorts gave an indication of tourists'preferences for souvenirs:

Should relate to the holiday destination(produced in the Maldives or the region)Form and function combined in one

product (e.g.: Sunhats made of palmleaves, T-shirts with local print or painting,blouse in traditional style, jewelry of blackcora l ) . Modern des igns with an“indigenous flair”

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In the year 2006 Ministry of EconomicDevelopment and Trade (MEDT) hasdeveloped the concept and workingmodel for the National Handicraft Centreto be established in Male' with the aim ofpromoting local handicrafts. I t isenvisioned that the two million Rufiyaaproject would remove current marketinefficiencies by acting as a purchaser andreseller of local handicrafts to give theseproducts a better chance of competingwith imported goods.

The handicraft sector has the potential for:

local economic development

(through focusing of production innorthern and southern developmentnodes)

e m p l o y m e n t g e n e r a t i o nthrough the increase of market share

creation of new Small andMedium Enterprises (SMEs), growth ofexisting SMEs

creation of handicraft clustersincome generation for poorer

segments of the population in the AtollsThe Centre would be a Public-Private-

Partnership (PPP) measure, governmentowned but managed by a private party.This Centre is to have a long list of dutiesand responsibil it ies in regard tosupporting Maldivian handicrafts. Dutiesfor the NHC include:

Removing price distortions byeliminating middlemen (e.g. tour guidecommissions);

Providing a stable market outletf o r p r o d u c e r .

Should the model of the NHC beconducive to handicrafts development,MEDT would explore the possibility of two“satellite”centres in the Atoll capitals of theNorthern and Southern DevelopmentRegion.

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The branding initiative – AuthenticMaldivian Product – is a nationalstamp/brand to be affixed on locallyproduced handicrafts to facilitate productpromotion and marketing.

The establishment of national brandingfor handicrafts products, AuthenticMaldivian Product, and the promotion ofthis brand is believed to be one of the

main success factors to support localproducts in addition to the setting up ofthe National Handicraft Center (NHC) . Themain goal of such a brand is to signal tocustomers quality, local development andcultural heritage. Initial interviews withtourists show that there is a demand forlocal products, however, that these areoften indistinguishable from cheapimported goods due to lack of labelingand the market domination of imports.The purchase of a “100% Maldives”branded product would appeal to touristsso that they know they are supporting thelocal economy.

The Maldives National Chamber ofCommerce and Industry, is to be given thelegal mandate for applying and enforcingthis stamp/brand.

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