MARKETING PROBLEMS OF MICRO ARTISAN ENTERPRISES IN THENZAWL HANDLOOM CLUSTER, MIZORAM

Handlooms an age old tradition of the rich cultural heritage of India is an important sector with respect to its size and employment potential. It is the second largest employment provider after agriculture, providing employment to 12 million families. Clusters and clustering of small firms is increasingly becoming an important tool in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) development in both developed and developing economies. Since centuries, India developed a system of specialised handloom concentrations throughout the country. Handloom and handicraft clusters dominate the cluster landscape of the country. The cluster model of developing traditional micro enterprises has shown success in handloom clusters in the country. Marketing, however, has been a general problem faced by the handloom industry in India, since these products are known for niche marketing. The Chanderi (Madhya Pradesh) and Kannur (Kerala) clusters are examples of how with the required institutional support they have become benchmark clusters for others to emulate by making inroads into international markets. Key words: marketing, marketing problems, micro enterprise, micro artisan enterprises