Andhra Pradesh leads sales at National Saras Mela in Vijayawada
Handlooms and handicrafts contributed 75 per cent of the total Rs 12.84 crore sales recorded at the exhibition.
Andhra Pradesh recorded the highest state-wise sales of Rs 2.99 crore at the National Saras Mela in Vijayawada, according to The New Indian Express. The exhibition saw total sales reach Rs 12.84 crore, with handlooms and handicrafts making up 75 per cent of the business.
Handlooms generated Rs 6.35 crore, which is almost half of the total turnover. Uttar Pradesh followed Andhra Pradesh in state-wise sales with Rs 1.22 crore, while Rajasthan recorded Rs 78 lakh. West Bengal and Telangana each registered Rs 74 lakh, and Bihar recorded Rs 57 lakh.
The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) reported that 571 stalls from 32 States and Union Territories participated, representing more than 250 districts. Daily sales reached a high of Rs 1.38 crore on October 25, with an average of approximately Rs 75 lakh per day.
The Leela Krishna Handloom Society from Andhra Pradesh was the top seller with Rs 15.6 lakh. Other high-performing groups included Bihar’s Vaishnavi SHG at Rs 15 lakh and UP’s Sana Hathkargha SHG at Rs 12.6 lakh.
Dr Molishree, Director of DAY-NRLM at the MoRD, said the response shows the potential of rural women's enterprises when they access wider markets. She stated that through DAY-NRLM, the aim is to improve market linkages, capacity building, and finance access to help these enterprises grow.