The 10-day Aadi Mahotsav organised by the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Ltd (TRIFED) under the Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs has been underway at Shree Durga Mandir in Dimapur from Friday to promote tribal handicraft and handloom products of the northeastern region.
Tribal artisans from five northeastern States including Assam, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland have put up their stalls with a variety of handicraft and handloom products in the exhibition-cum-sale festival.
The festival was inaugurated by Nagaland State Cooperative Marketing and Consumers’ Federation Ltd managing director Vikeoto Zhimo.
Addressing the inaugural programme, Zhimo hoped the first of its kind festival in Nagaland will not only help in promoting the handloom and handicrafts products of the tribal people of the Northeast but will also facilitate in marketing their products outside the region. This will in turn help in earning their livelihood, he added.
Later addressing a press conference at the venue, regional manager, TRIFED, Guwhati, MR Singh said the Aadi Mahotsav was being organised here to bring all the tribal artisans of the Northeast under one platform to promote their products out of the region.
He pointed out that tribal handloom and handcraft products of the region have high demand in other parts of the country. “The tribal artisans of the region are not aware of the values of their products,” he added.
Singh said the TRIFED would purchase the products displayed at the festival for sale in its 64 showrooms spread across the country.