TN traditional products of Poompuhar will be available in online platforms

CHENNAI: Traditional products including Madurai brass lamps, Kallakurichi wood carvings and Mamallapuram stone carvings of Poompuhar in the State will be available for sales in Amazon and Flipkart as Tamil Nadu government has tied up with these companies in a bid to improve marketing.

Apart from its showrooms, Poompuhar sells its products through its own e-commerce platform. A senior official from the State Handicrafts department told DT Next that apart from Amazon and Flipkart, Poompuhar also entered into agreement with Excotic India and Denkali to sell the state's traditional products online.

"Madurai brass lamps, Kallakurichi wood carvings and Mamallapuram stone carvings, other items including kolu dolls, paintings, jute products, musical instruments, sea shell items, marble products and traditional bell metal products will be available online platforms of the tied-up e-commerce giants", he added.

Pointing out the present sales turnover (2022-2023) about Rs 40 crore, the official said after tying up with the online companies, the sales turnover this year would be almost doubled.

"Products that have to be sold online through these companies have been selected", he said adding "we are in the process of sending catalogs and rates".

Stating that the talks were also on with other online selling companies, the official said that "Poompuhar also initiated to introduce more traditional items through artisans from the state to sell online".

"For example, recently "Impon kappu" (a combination of five metal bracelet) item was introduced and it was hit among many people, especially youngsters, who evinced interest in buying that", he said adding "like this, new products would be introduced by encouraging our traditional artisans".

The official said that Poompuhar also initiated to create a-repository of artisans and their skills so that their products would reach world-wide.

Apart from entering into agreement with online product selling companies, the Poomphuar is also planning to expand its exports of traditional handicraft items such as bronze icons, brass ornamental lamps rosewood furniture and Thanjavur paintings to Singapore, Malaysia, United Kingdom, Australia, Gulf countries, United States of America.