Situation Analysis of the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem of Kouna Crafts of Manipur: Artisans’ Perspective

Abstract

The handicraft sector plays an important role in the Indian economy, offering substantial employment and contributing significantly to exports. Manipur’s Kouna (water reeds) crafts have a distinct position due to their aesthetic value. It is becoming popular both in the national and international markets and is in great demand. Realizing its value and market demand, different actors have started facilitating the artisans for capacity development and value addition and linking them to potential markets, which have formed an ecosystem conducive to entrepreneurship development. To support the local artisans and to analyze the existing situation of this ecosystem, the study was taken up within the Thoubal and Imphal East districts of Manipur. For analyzing the internal and external factors, SWOT analysis and TOWS /analysis were used. A total of 90 randomly sampled artisans formed the respondents of the study. The highest-scoring strength factor was “more profitable than rice cultivation,” and the highest-scoring weakness was “unavailability of modern technology to improve craft quality and efficiency.” In opportunities, “environment consciousness of people looking for eco-friendly alternatives to plastic” ranked the highest, while amongst threats, “unorganized value chain with many players” ranked the highest. The existing situation showed a balance between the internal and external factors, as well as positive and negative factors suggesting that the situation is good enough for the artisans if they and other stakeholders put the right intervention to turn it in their favor. Strategies derived from SWOT analysis were outlined in a TOWS matrix.