SARAS Mela and Marketing of Rural Products in India

Besides agriculture rural products basically imply traditional handicraft products produced by the rural artisans. This handicraft sector is the backbone of the non-firm economy of rural India and is also an important option of rural livelihood. But the sector is highly unorganized. In spite of having large market potentiality, artisans in most the cases fail to secure a modest living. This is mostly because of organized marketing facilities for the rural products. SARAS mela is a landmark decision of the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India, for marketing of these rural products produced by the Self Help Groups under the Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana scheme. Started in 1999, this fair presently has become an important brand for exhibition-cum-sale of rural products and capacity building of the rural artisans. The present paper, based on secondary information, gives an overview and present situation of SARAS Mela and its importance in marketing of rural products.