KUCHING: A crafts exhibition is being held at Kuching Waterfront from now till Sept 7, in celebration of the annual Sarawak Regatta.
According to Tourism Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Abang Openg, the ‘Malaysia Crafts Promotion 2014’ stands as a key event in promoting local craft products to visitors.
“This year’s regatta will see 500 paddlers from 11 countries taking part. (As such) we are expecting a lot of overseas visitors over the next one week or two.
“The sales target for this year is RM750,000, even though we achieved RM1.1 million last year. There are 81 entrepreneurs coming to exhibit their crafts products; 55 of whom are from Sarawak, 12 from Kelantan, five from Sabah, four from Selangor, three from Melaka and two from Perlis.
“We hope they (entrepreneurs) would know how to ‘entice’ people to buy from them. The purpose of the exhibition is to help these entrepreneurs improve their livelihood as well as to provide business opportunities to kampung folk as the raw materials needed to make these crafts come mostly from villages,” he told a press conference prior to officiating at the exhibition here yesterday.
Among some of the crafts items on display include woodwork, textiles, beads and claywork. In addition to selling these products, the expo also hosts demonstrations on making women’s shoes, vases and filigrees.
There are also interactive learning sessions as well as competitions involving primary and secondary students as well as those from institutes of higher learning.
Also present at the press conference were Deputy State Secretary Datu Ose Murang, acting Kuching Resident Zamahari Saidi, Bumiputra Entrepreneurs Development Unit director Kameri Affandi, and the state’s Malaysian Handicrafts Development Corporation Sarawak director Azran Arip.