Hyderabad SARAS Mela to bring rural enterprises to urban buyers
A SARAS Mela in Hyderabad will showcase handlooms, handicrafts, food products and other goods made by rural artisans and women entrepreneurs from October 7 to 18. Organised by the Telangana government, the event will have 204 stalls, including 95 from Telangana, and is intended to create markets and business opportunities for self-help groups.
A SARAS Mela showcasing products made by rural artisans, women entrepreneurs and self-help groups will be held in Hyderabad from October 7 to 18, the Telangana government said. The event will take place at the HMDA Grounds beside the IMAX theatre. Organisers have arranged 204 stalls for participants from different States, including 95 stalls for Telangana producers.
The Telangana participants include 32 handicraft stalls, 20 handloom stalls and 30 food-product stalls. Four participants will display herbal products, three will showcase production items and six will operate live food stalls. Products on display will include Pochampally, Gadwal and Narayanpet sarees, Kalamkari and embroidered textiles, wooden toys, jute and leather bags, terracotta items, Banjara handicrafts and herbal goods.
Visitors will also be able to buy Telangana snacks, pickles, spice powders, millets and other food products. The mela is being organised by the Telangana government through the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty, under the Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Department. SARAS, or Sale of Articles of Rural Artisans Society, is intended to provide marketing support to rural women artisans associated with self-help groups.
SERP chief executive Divya Devarajan said the event would promote women’s entrepreneurship, strengthen rural livelihoods and create better market opportunities. She said participants from different States could exchange marketing practices and develop connections with consumers. According to Devarajan, the fair could also help producers secure bulk orders and explore business partnerships.
The event will therefore give participants an opportunity to sell directly to urban consumers while testing demand beyond their local markets. Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Danasari Anasuya Seethakka said direct contact with consumers would help rural women entrepreneurs expand their businesses and strengthen their livelihoods. The source material did not provide expected visitor numbers or sales targets.
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