The 1st edition of Bharat-Tex 2024 being held at Bharat Mandapam and Yashobhoomi, New Delhi from 26th to 29th February 2024 was inaugurated today by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi at a vibrant ceremony, held at Bharat Mandapam. Inspired by his 5F Vision, the event has a unified Farm to Fashion focus, covering the entire textiles value chain. “We are connecting all the elements of the textile value chain with each other via a ‘Five F’ journey. This journey includes (beginning the process at) farms, (producing) fibre, (manufacturing in) factories, (executing the product in) fashion, and (taking it to) foreign markets,” he has said. A mega exhibition promoting India’s textile prowess, fostering international collaborations and stimulating economic growth, Bharat Tex is built on the twin pillars of trade and investment with an overarching focus on sustainability and resilient supply chains. This is a B2B & B2C fair with focus on the export market.
Darshana V Jardosh, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Railways and Textiles, Govt. of India, visited the exhibition at Yashobhoomi and met handicraft exhibitors participating in 1st edition of Bharat Tex. During her visit, Hon’ble Minister also inaugurated ‘Indie-Haat’ – a unique showcase of India’s traditional sector of Handicrafts and Handlooms. This specially curated pavilion by O/o Development Handicrafts at Bharat Tex narrates the story of Indian textiles as an unbroken continuum – from the past to present to the future.
Present on the occasion Amrit Raj, Development Commissioner (Handicrafts), Ministry of Textiles, Govt. of India; Dr. M. Beena, Development Commissioner (Handlooms), Ministry of Textiles, Govt. of India; Dileep Baid, Chairman-EPCH; Capt. Mukesh Kumar Gombar, Chairman, CEPC; R. K Verma, Executive Director, EPCH; Dr. Smita Nagarkoti, Executive Director, CEPC; Raj Kumar Malhotra, Former Chairman-EPCH; Ravi K. Passi, Past Chairman-EPCH, Lekhraj Maheshwari, Past Chairman-EPCH; CoA Members-EPCH Prince Malik, D.Kumar; prominent handicraft exporter C.P. Sharma, Rajesh Jain, K. N. Tulasi Rao, Rajesh Rawat, Addl. Executive Director, EPCH and other dignitaries.
Dileep Baid, Chairman, EPCH, informed, “The Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts has a total of 343 participants in this show, including 78 at Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan and 265 at Yashobhoomi, Dwarka. These are our EPCH members and are leading manufacturer exporters who have established market linkages across the world. What they manufacture reaches store shelves in over 100 nations through wholesalers, importers, retailers, etc. At Bharat-Tex 2024, these exporters have displayed their products in Home Furnishing along with Gifts and Decoratives; Furniture & Accessories; Houseware; Lamps and Lighting; Leather Bags & Cases and Fashion Jewellery & Accessories. Besides, there are State Pavilions with their share of ethnic products and craftsmanship.”
Dr. Rakesh Kumar, General Secretary, Bharat Tex 2024, Chief Mentor-EPCH and Chairman-IEML said with over 22 lakh sq ft exhibition area spread across 2 venues at Bharat Mandapam and Yashobhoomi, participation of buyers from 100 countries and over 100 international speakers, Bharat Tex is India’s largest Global Textile Event, organised by a consortium of 11 Textile Export Promotion Councils and supported by the Ministry of Textiles. It is a one of a kind display of traditional craftsmanship alongside cutting-edge technology, showcasing the unique blend of India’s textile story. The 4 day event brings together 3,500 exhibitors, over 3,000 buyers from over 100 countries, and more than 50,000 trade visitors, besides policymakers and global CEOs.
The exhibition features Apparel, Home Furnishings, Floor Coverings, Fibres, Yarns, Threads, Fabrics, Carpets, Silk, Handicrafts, Technical Textiles, etc. It also has a retail High Street focusing on India’s fashion retail market opportunities. Other attractions of the show include dedicated pavilions on sustainability and recycling besides major textiles clusters.
Among its many features, Bharattex also features a global scale conference with 350 speakers to deliberate on issues and challenges faced by the global textiles industry and India’s strengths that can be leveraged to address these issues. Over 40% of all sessions will be focused on the three pillars – Sustainability, Resilient Value Chains and Indian Prowess in Global Textiles Industry. There will also be 3 Country Sessions and 5 State Sessions on Opportunities, Investment and Trade, besides sessions on Global Mega Trends Shaping the Future of Textiles Industry and Factory of the Future with emphasis on AI and Block Chain based Smart Manufacturing.
The mega show also features craft demonstrations by master craftsmen, interactive fabric testing zones and product demonstrations as well as showcase of global fashion trends. Over 10 Fashion shows spread across 4 days on diverse themes ranging from Indian Textiles Heritage to sustainability and global designs are being organised.
Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts is a nodal agency for promotion of exports of handicrafts from the Country and create brand image of magic of the gifted hands of millions of artisans and crafts persons engaged in production of home, lifestyle, textiles, furniture and fashion jewellery & accessories products in different craft clusters of the Country. The overall Handicrafts exports during the year 2022-23 were Rs. 30,019.24 Crores (US $ 3,728.47 Million), as informed by R. K. Verma, Executive Director, EPCH.
