Three international organizations will invest more than USD $ 750,000 in Myanmar’s traditional textile industry in next two years with the aim to improve and preserve the local textile market and improve the global market share of Myanmar-made products

Three international organisations will invest more than US$ 750,000 in Myanmar’s textile industry over the next two years.

This will involve Myanmar Artisans, a social enterprise, Turquoise Mountain, a non-government international organisation and DaNa Facility, which is under the UK Department for International Development, DaNa Facility announced on October 10.

“The variety of hand-woven arts in across Myanmar is very astonishing. We’re proud to support these products and ensure they reach value-added market by cooperating with local weavers,” said Harry Wardill, representative of Turquoise Mountain’s Myanmar operation.

The Myanmar Artisans Project, which will initially be carried out in Kachin, Chin and Shan States and later expanded to the other states and regions. 

The aim is to improve and preserve the local textile market and improve the global market share of Myanmar-made products. As such, the project will include training and better market connections for local weavers so they are able to reach value-added markets and increase their family incomes.

At the opening ceremony of the project at Myitkyina, Kachin State, DFID’s leader Dr. Gail Marzetti said that by “investing in textiles we are betting that this project can play an important role for the long term success and sustainability of Myanmar’s traditional textile business.”

Myanmar Artisans, which is committed to preserving and promoting Myanmar’s traditional crafts, was founded in 2016.

In cooperation with international design professionals, training courses on designing and production are being conducted for Myanmar Artisans’ staff, interns, cooperation agencies and those playing in handicraft sector. As a result, high-quality handicrafts are being produced and sold to local and foreign markets.

Turquoise Mountain has worked in Myanmar from the end of 2014 with an aim to preserve Yangon’s landmark urban heritages and re-create the traditional craft industry. It expects to make a huge socioeconomic impact in Myanmar by supporting vocational schools and preserving historic heritage.

(The Myanmar Times: https://www.mmtimes.com/news/support-arrives-myanmars-traditional-textile-sector.html )

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