Machines are taking over in all commercial fields without any doubt and it is obvious that the same will continue to grow in future. It turns out to be very efficient and practical way of making things using machinery as it saves time and cost both. However it also have, or could make a great impact on manufacturer of handmade products in India as the country is rich with skilled labours that is extremely good at making beautiful handmade products, We can find almost every other city have its own unique way of making handicrafts and handmade products.
This rapid industrialisation is leading people to buy more machine made products, However the market for handmade products around the world have it own customer base. The basic problem that seems clear is that artisans of these handmade products belongs mostly to backward communities that does not have access to promote their skills & products directly to potential buyers. There are big manufacturers above them who buy these handmade products from them and then sell it to the buyers, Therefore they seems to have more control over the market instead of people who are really making these handicrafts. There are several companies that is empowering and promoting handmade products such as 'Etsy' & 'Amazon Karigar' but there are different taxes and charges associated with that which can be very painful to deal with for the artisan.
Fortunately the Indian government is presenting several schemes to help the artisans. These organisations set up fairs and events to promote their products but there are very less number of artisans that can actually go their directly since the process is not very easy. Even after all these schemes the taxes and transportation in export of these handicrafts can be very tough for them.
The only way to growth for these artisans is to have proper knowledge of exporting handicrafts and infrastructure required to do it independently. With the help of the internet there is growth in online sales of the Indian Handicrafts which will hopefully go up in future.
Handicrafts or handmade products can be expensive sometimes but it is only because of intermediaries and let's not forget about the impact on environment when making these products is much more less than any other industrial made product.