India’s famed Khurja pottery gets a digital makeover

August 27, 2024, Export-Import Bank of India (India Exim Bank), under its Grassroots Initiatives for Development (GRID) programme, has engaged with Khurja Pottery Manufacturers Association (KPMA) to establish a 3D Design Studio. Earlier this year, the Bank organised a design development workshop for 25 master artisans, in association with National Institute of Design, working in this sector in Khurja. The objective of the programme is to empower local pottery makers and artisans in Khurja with advanced design skills and technologies for making their products globally competitive. Khurja boasts over 300 manufacturing units engaged in tableware crockery and technical ceramics, that provide employment to more than 30,000 skilled and unskilled workers.

The design studio was inaugurated today at Khurja, by Ms. Harsha Bangari, Managing Director, India Exim Bank, in the presence of Mr. Ravi Rana, President, KPMA; Mr. Darshan Chhatwal, Vice President, KPMA; Mr. Savan Kumar Sharma, Scientist & Head of Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute, Khurja Centre (CGCRI); Mr. Ashutosh Singh, General Manager, District Industry Centre; and Ms. Deepali Agrawal, Deputy Managing Director, Exim Bank.

Design development has long been a critical challenge for Khurja pottery, which is renowned for its heritage potters, limiting their ability to create innovative and marketable products. This also has been limiting their potential to produce potteries which are in sync with the market demand. The Bank’s support to set up a 3D Design Studio addresses this challenge by providing access to advanced design tools and expertise and promises to catalyse the growth of the age-old industry and improve its export potential.

The 3D design studio offers several benefits to the 250+ local pottery units who are members of KPMA, by providing access to state-of-the-art technology and expert guidance. The studio will empower them to experiment with new designs, reduce production costs, and improve the overall quality of their products. Further, the studio’s training programme equips pottery makers with the skills necessary to create intricate designs and patterns that are both aesthetically pleasing and commercially viable. The contemporary designs developed have an international appeal. The potters of Khurja have been able to secure orders from global brands and the Bank has also supported them by enabling their participation in prestigious art festivals such as Kala Ghoda Arts Festival.

During the inauguration of the studio, Ms. Bangari emphasised the Bank’s unwavering commitment to supporting micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Uttar Pradesh. She highlighted the 3D design studio’s role in modernising the ceramic industry, enabling local manufacturers to elevate their design capabilities and compete effectively in the global market. Recognising the export potential of these MSMEs in the state, the Bank has recently opened its regional office in Lucknow. Ms. Bangari also mentioned about the support provided by Bank’s GRID programme to several clusters in UP through organising skill development training programs for weavers of Banarasi Silk sarees and Zari Zardozi artisans and sponsoring the participation of several artisans in renowned festivals like the Surajkund International Craft Mela, Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, and the Bank’s flagship event, Exim Bazaar.

The Bank envisages to provide a holistic and sustainable intervention and therefore besides setting up a 3D design studio, it has also installed solar panels and provided trained technicians in collaboration with the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad.

India Exim Bank, through its Grassroots Initiatives for Development (GRID), and Marketing Advisory Services (MAS) programmes, has actively supported artisans, master craftsmen, weavers, clusters, self-help groups, NGOs, grassroot and micro-enterprises, for their various needs through capacity-building, setting up common facility centres, augment operational efficiencies, achieve higher value addition, and widen market access to support and build international linkages for such entities. The 3D Design Studio demonstrates Exim Bank’s continued commitment to foster economic growth and development in India’s hinterland.