The Himachal Pradesh government is expanding its Himira brand to take products made by rural women’s Self-Help Groups to a national market, aiming to improve branding, packaging, and visibility for the state’s traditional village products.
Himachal Pradesh is working to expand the reach of the Himira brand beyond its existing outlets and make products manufactured by Self-Help Groups (SHGs) from villages across the state available to a wider national market, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department Secretary C Paulrasu said on Tuesday.
Addressing media persons in Shimla after launching the Himira Rakhi Gift Pack ahead of the festival, he said the Himira brand had emerged as an important platform for promoting traditional products made by rural women and providing them with better market access.
Improving Marketability of Traditional Products
He said the initiative was conceived after taking into account the limitations faced by traditional products made by women in Himachal Pradesh, including inadequate packaging, branding and market exposure. “The Himira brand was launched keeping in mind the need to improve the quality, presentation and marketability of traditional products from Himachal Pradesh. The progress made in a short period is encouraging, and the credit goes to the Self-Help Groups and the rural women who have worked hard to develop these products,” Paulrasu said.
He stressed that the initiative should not remain confined to a limited number of products or Himira stores. The department, he said, would seek to bring products from villages across Himachal Pradesh onto the platform. “Himachal is a small state, but every village has its own products and food products. We have created the platform, and now we need to take it to every village and include more and more products so that their acceptance and demand can increase,” he said.
Strategic Promotion and Brand Building
Paulrasu said many of Himachal’s traditional products had distinctive cultural and local value, but had historically lacked adequate market access. The Himira platform, he said, could bridge that gap by combining traditional products with improved branding, packaging and promotion.
He said the launch of the Rakhi gift pack ahead of the upcoming festive season, besides Dussehra and Diwali, was aimed at giving greater visibility to Himira products. “The objective is to give these products good publicity during the festival season and take them beyond Himachal Pradesh. Himira products are not limited to Dussehra or Himira stores; they are also available online,” he said.
The Rural Development Secretary said the government wanted to build Himira into a strong and recognisable brand over the next few years, with the objective of creating sustained demand for products made by rural women. “We want Himira to become a product that is recognised and demanded across the country. If we can take it to every village and connect all these products to the platform, it will ultimately strengthen the rural sector,” Paulrasu said.
Empowering the Rural Sector
He also highlighted the role of Self-Help Groups in generating employment and income opportunities for rural women. The success of Himira, he said, would be directly linked to the collective efforts of SHGs, district-level institutions and the rural development network across the state. “At the end of the day, this initiative is going to help our rural sector. It is encouraging to see how many women, particularly rural women, have received employment and livelihood opportunities through these groups,” he said.
Paulrasu congratulated the officials, Self-Help Groups and other stakeholders involved in developing and promoting the Himira products, saying the progress achieved within a relatively short period was encouraging. He said the government would continue efforts to diversify the Himira product range, improve its market presence and connect products from different districts and villages with consumers within and outside Himachal Pradesh. (ANI)
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