Handicraft Vendors Prepare for IHGF Delhi Fair
The IHGF Delhi Fair remains a key event for India's handicraft sector, providing a B2B platform for vendors to showcase products and connect with global and domestic buyers. The upcoming spring gift show is a significant opportunity for artisans seeking to expand their business-to-business connections.
- The upcoming 61st edition of the fair, organized by the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH), will take place from February 14-18, 2026, and is expected to host over 3,000 exhibitors showcasing more than 2,000 product lines. A previous edition of the fair generated business inquiries worth ₹3,650 crore from approximately 4,856 buyers across 92 countries. - India's handicraft exports (excluding carpets) reached ₹33,122.79 crore in the 2024-25 fiscal year, with the United States remaining a primary market. The sector is a major employer, providing livelihoods for over seven million artisans, a majority of whom are women in rural and semi-urban areas. - The organizing body, EPCH, is an apex organization representing over 10,000 handicraft manufacturers and exporters, facilitating the connection between the Indian handicrafts industry and global markets. - Government initiatives aim to formalize the sector and provide artisans with direct access to benefits; for example, the "Pehchan" scheme has already issued ID cards to over 3.2 million artisans. Other key programs include the National Handicrafts Development Programme and the Ambedkar Hastshilp Vikas Yojna. - The global market is seeing a significant shift in consumer preference toward sustainable, ethically produced, and unique handcrafted goods over mass-produced items. This trend is amplified by social commerce, with platforms like Instagram and Facebook Marketplace enabling artisans to connect directly with a global customer base. - Despite the market opportunity, artisans in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities face significant hurdles, including a lack of digital literacy to leverage e-commerce, fragmented market access, and inadequate branding to compete with mass-produced goods. - The Spring 2026 fair will feature a special focus on the furniture category, with over 600 manufacturers and exporters from major production hubs like Jodhpur, Saharanpur, and Moradabad set to participate. - The Indian handicrafts market was valued at approximately USD 4.56 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 8.19 billion by 2033, driven by the increasing accessibility of products on online platforms.
