The 10-day-long 'Festival of India' started on November 5 at Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina. The festival is aimed at promoting the country's handicrafts exports and creating a brand image for these handicraft items. Argentinean Industry Minister Debora Giorgi was present at the inauguration of the second edition of the event, which has been organized by the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts in coordination with the Indian Embassy in Buenos Aires.
At least 35 Indian companies are participating in the Festival of India exhibition being held at Argentinean capital. An Export Promotion Council for Handicraft release said that the main attraction of this festival would be various Indian handicraft products such as textiles, furnishings, fabrics, costume jewellery and accessories, Kashmiri products and handicrafts, Christmas decorations etc.
Eco friendly items will be other major attraction of this festival. The festival is also showcasing the country's culture, traditions, history and food at such a big platform. Various performing arts from country will be staged at the festival besides a special promotion on Indian tourism. Exports to Argentina stood at $4.08 million during 2005-06 which increased to $4.96 million during 2007-08, and declined to $3.13 million during 2008-09 due to the global recession.
