Sri Lanka’s first handicraft sales outlet and exhibition opens in Galle Town Hall on Friday, Jan.10 displaying Sri Lankan, Indian and European handicraft designs. There will be high quality, traditionally designed garments including sarees, shirts and kurthas which can compete with products in the international market.

Entry to the exhibition and sales outlet to be held at Galle on Friday is free of charge. The items on display are of international standard. These products with traditional handicraft designs have become popular in China, India and several other countries thus helping to greatly reduce unemployment among Sri Lankan women. The type of hand-woven saree which costs around Rs.80,000 in India can now be bought in Sri Lanka for about Rs. 30,000.

Attorney Pushpa Rajapaksa, President of the Liya Abhiman Organisation introduced the creation of Sri Lankan and Indian handicraft designs through the handicraft textile industry under Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa's direction. The Instructor is Indian textile designs expert Ishara Harischandra.

The textile handicraft designing project commenced operations in the Liya Abhiman Designs Centre at Moragoda, Gampaha in March last year. At the beginning 48 women were trained for the purpose within a period of five months.

Nearly a thousand persons applied for this training programme for which about Rs.100,000 per trainee was invested. Thirty-eight of those who completed training are already self-employed with each of them earning almost Rs. 35,000 per month. All their creations are being sent to Laksala and other State institutions as well as private sector organizations.

Fifty women were selected for the second training programme which began on January 6. Arrangements have been made to hold the next sales outlets and exhibitions in the Matara, Anuradhapura, Hambantota, Kandy and Kegalle Districts. The workshop on handicraft creations to be held in the Galle Town Hall on the 10th will be conducted from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Those who wish to participate are requested to make inquiries from 077-9363636.

The success of this programme has resulted in a big demand for threads required for the production of sarees and other garments.This has been a boon for thread manufacturers. As a result the Western Province Medium and Small Scale Industries sector has been able to double the daily income of those employed in the sector.

Liya Abhiman President Pushpa Rajapaksa who visited Liya Abhiman Garment Manufacturing Centre at Moragoda recently to inspect its progress gave the necessary advice on streamlining the programme.

Until recently only seven out of the 54 textile centres in the Western Province manufactured thread but today it has increased to 25. This is a big revolution in the Sri Lankan textile design sector.