Bhubaneswar: Sisir Saras, an annual fair organised by the Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society (ORMAS) and Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department, has registered a 37 per cent increase in sales at Rs 13.05 crore when compared with sales of Rs 9.56 crore in 2017.
The trade fair, which concluded Monday, saw the participation from 488 groups. Twenty four states from the country participated in the event, in which all districts from Odisha took part, an official release said.
The number of participants was 673 while the total number of stalls erected stood at 294.
Saras Fair is an initiative by the Ministry of Rural Development to provide a platform for the rural producer/artisans/ SHG/ PG to market their products through exhibition.
This initiative helps the rural producers to know the taste and preference of the urban consumer which help them in improving the quality, design and packaging of products.
The objective of the mela is to provide avenue for sales and display of products by the rural producer/artisans.
Saras has played a key role in connecting producers/ artisans to various markets, thereby generating confidence among producers, the release said.
Some of the products displayed were decorative lamps from Tamil Nadu, cane and bamboo works of Assam, woolen products of Manipur, Himachal Pradesh and J&K, handloom and Kantha stitch products of West Bengal, the Chanderi clothing of Madhya Pradesh and Phulkari products of Punjab.
The Golden Grass Craft from Kendrapara, Terracotta craft of Balasore and handloom products from Koraput and Dhokra were some of the items displayed by the state at the fair. (PNN)
