The apex body of cooperatives in the country NCUI is all set to offer its first Co-operative Haat to the nation on the occasion of India’s 75th Independence Day, revealed its Chief Executive Sudhir Mahajan.
Co-operative products, made across the country and which are high in quality but low in terms of publicity, will have their own stalls now at the sprawling campus of the NCUI headquarters in Delhi, said Mahajan.
Many of such products made by women co-ops, fail to find a place at Dilli Haat. NCUI has come up with a calendar for states and products, likely to be showcased from 15th of August, when NCUI President Dileep Sanghani is slated to inaugurate the Co-op Haat.
Handicraft products, Saris, items made by local artisans or even rakhees as of now would be sold in these stalls. The calendar has been made in such a way that on rotation all the states will get a chance. To begin with from 15 to 31 August the states invited include Manipur, Gujarat, M.P, Karnataka, Assam and Aska project from Odisha.
The stalls would be run year long and after observing its response NCUI plans to add 2-3 more stalls in future. As the NCUI headquarters is not located in a business centre, the advertisement and publicity of the Haat is big challenge, conceded the CE.
To overcome the challenge, however, NCUI has made an elaborate plan involving RWAs of the area, among others. “We have also written letters to MDs of all the offices lining up the Siri Fort Road where NCUI building is located”, said Mahajan.
Besides, in the South Delhi edition of daily newspapers, a write-up (advertorial) along with the advertisement of Haat would be placed from the first week of August to make the people of the area aware that something like Dilli Haat has come up in their areas, underlined Mahajan.
Co-op Haat would also dazzle in the night with the help of LED lights. “We are going to resort to what is known as WhatsApp marketing on a large scale”, said Mahajan.
Mahajan, however conceded that as of now NCUI has no say in the quality control of products being planned to be showcased. “We have started a dialogue with NIFT (National Institute of Fashion Technology) for the value addition of the same”, he revealed.
Besides, the 41 Field Projects active in various parts of the country have been advised to guide women co-ops producing these items and help them achieve some sort of standardization of the products. Such a move would not only make them competitive but also lead to the enhancement of their earnings, felt the CE.
A couple of days before its formal inauguration on 15th August, NCUI plans to call a press conference to announce the arrival of co-op haat on the scene.