September 2016 Survey by AL&C Consulting Group for the Embassy of India in Caracas- Venezuela Contact email: Alfredo Ordoñez: [email protected] Carlos Longa: [email protected] Luis Angarita: [email protected] TABLE OF CONTENTS GLOSSARY OF TERMS PART I: ECONOMIC SITUATION OF THE BOLIVARIAN REPUBLIC OF VENEZUELA PART II: FEATURES OF THE VENEZUELAN HANDICRAFTS MARKET PART III: THE PRODUCT OF VENEZUELAN HANDICRAFT PART IV: MARKETING OF VENEZUELAN HANDICRAFT PRODUCTS PART V: INVESTMENT IN THE VENEZUELAN HANDICRAFT MARKET Glossary of Terms. Term linked to the Meaning document Aesthetic 1. (adjective) Concerned with beauty and art and the understanding of beautiful things. 2. (adjective) Made in an artistic way and beautiful to look at. Association 1. (noun) A number of persons bound together by common social standards, interests; 2. (noun) A group of people organized for a joint purpose and represented by legal person. Authentic 1. (adjective) Of undisputed origin and not a copy, genuine; 2. (adjective) Made or done in the traditional or original way, or in a way that faithfully resembles an original. Autochthonous 1. (adjective) (Of an inhabitant of a place) indigenous rather than descended from migrants or colonists. Blacksmith’s trade 1. (noun) Make and repair things in iron by hand. Capacity 1. (uncountable noun, countable noun, usually singular) The number of things or people that a container or space can hold; 2. (uncountable noun, countable noun, usually singular) The ability to understand or to do something. Clay 1. (mass noun) A stiff, sticky fine-grained earth that can be moulded when wet, and is dried and baked to make bricks, pottery, and ceramics; 2. noun (technical) Sediment with particles smaller than silt, typically less than 0.002 mm. Code 1.(noun) Combination of signs that have a certain value within an established system. Contemporary 1. (adjective). Belonging to the same time. 2. Belonging to the present time (synonymous: modern). Craftsman 1. (noun) A worker skilled in a particular craft. Craftswork 1. (noun) The making of decorative or practical objects by hand as a profession or leisure activity; 2. (noun) Decorative or practical objects made by hand. Culture 1. (uncountable noun) Customs and beliefs, art, way of life and social organization of a particular country or group. Cut 1. (verb) Sculpt, carve or engrave. Design 1. (noun) The process of planning how something will look, happen or be made. 5 Economy of scale 1. (verb) Produce more units of goods or services in a large scale, yet with (or average) less input costs. Eichhornia (water hyacinth) 1.(noun) Floating aquatic plant, of tropical lakes and rivers, that grows so prolifically. In Venezuela it grows at the Orinoco river, at the south of the country. Fabric 1. (noun) Product resulting of intertwining various elements. Federate 1. (verb) To unite under a central government or organization while keeping some local control. Feldspar 1. (noun) A group of minerals, principally aluminoscilicates of potassium, sodium and calcium, characterized by two cleavages at nearly right angles: one of the most important constituents of igneous rocks. Fireclay 1.(noun) Granular material obtained spraying bricks, refractory bricks, ceramic or any other cooked product. 1. 1. (noun) A piece of the dressed pelt of an animal Fur used to make, trim, or line wearing apparel; 2. (noun) An article of clothing made of or with fur. Identity 1. (noun) Qualities, beliefs, etc., that make a particular person or group different from others. Indigenous 1. (adjective) Originating or occurring naturally in a particular place; native. Inherit 1. (verb) Receive or be left with (a situation, object, etc.) from a predecessor or former owner. Innovation 1. (noun) The act or process of introducing new ideas, devices, or methods. 2. Creation or modification of a product and its introduction in a market. Instrument 1. (noun) A means of pursuing an aim. Integrate 1. (noun) To bring together, combine, or incorporate into a whole or into a larger unit. Kaolin (Chinese clay) 1. (noun) A type of fine white clay used in some medicines and in making porcelain for cups, plates, etc. Leather industry 1. (noun) Manufacture of leather or morocco leather, such as purses, trunks, suitcases. Manufacture (Make) 1.(verb) To make goods in large quantities, using machinery. 2. To transform a thing or object into a product by doing a particular work. Mauritia flexuosa (Moriche 1. (noun). A palm tree that grows in and near swamps and palm, in Venezuela) other wet areas in tropical South America: Trinidad, 6 Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia; 2. A palm tree used in handicraft-related activities. Method 1. (noun). A particular procedure for accomplishing or approaching something, especially a systematic or established one. Mud 1. (mass noun) Soft, sticky matter resulting from the mixing of earth and water. Material similar to clay. Piece 1. (noun) An artistic creation, such as: jewels, tools, utensils or furniture. Pre-Columbian 1. (adjective) Relating to the history and cultures of the Americas before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492. Protect 1. (verb)Keep safe from harm or injury. Register 1. (noun) To record information about (something) in a book or system of public records. 1. 1. (noun) An exact reproduction (as of a Replica painting); 2. A copy exact in all details. Resource 1. (mass noun) Group of available elements to solve a problem or to carry out a business. Saddlery 1. (noun) Shop or workshop where articles made of leather and for horses are created or sold. Sand 1. (mass noun) A loose granular substance, typically pale yellowish brown, resulting from the erosion of siliceous and other rocks and forming a major constituent of beaches, river beds, the seabed, and deserts; 2. (technical) Sediment whose particles are larger than silt (typically greater than 0.06 mm). Stained glass 1. (noun) Coloured glass a material or to works created from it. Stoneware 1. (noun) A kind of plaster to make pots, dishes, etc., made from clay that contains a small amount of the hard stone called Flint, a type of hard grey stone that can produce a spark when it is hit against steel; 2.(mass noun) A type of pottery which is impermeable and partly vitrified but opaque. Strategy 1. (noun) Plan that is intended to achieve a particular purpose. Synergy 1. (noun) The interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate 7 effects. Technical 1. (adjective) Relating to a particular subject, art, or craft, or its techniques. Traditional 1.(adjective) An inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior (as a religious practice or a social custom). Tribe 1. (noun) A social division in a traditional society consisting of families or communities linked by social, economic, religious, or blood ties, with a common culture and dialect, typically having a recognized leader. Utilitarian 1. (adjective) Designed to be useful or practical rather than attractive. Sources: Merriam Webster Dictionary. Available in: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ and Oxford Dictionary Available in: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/ 8 BOLIVARIAN REPUBLIC OF VENEZUELA Official Name Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Official language Spanish Population (2016) 30,851,343 inhabitants Form of Government Federal Presidential Republic Head of State President, Nicolás Maduro Moros GDP Per cápita (2016) US $ 12,820 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) 1.6% (UN) (% of GDP) (2015) Gross Fixed Capital Formation 20.3% (% GDP) (2015) Public expenditure on education (2015) 6.9% of GDP Public expenditure on health (2015) 3.4% of GDP Currency The official currency is the Bolívar (VEF), with a system of foreign exchange control which has two rates: DIPRO (type: protected change) for essential products 10 Bs/$ and DICOM (type: complementary change) for all transactions not contained in DIPRO. The floating rate is controlled by the BCV and starts at 206.92 Bs/$1 Demography Venezuelan population pyramid shows that the bulk of the Venezuelan population is between the ages of 10-24 years old, which results in a young population with aspirations to enter the labor market, after an average of 8.9 years of studies, representing an educated population that almost finish high school and that can become labor for any growing industry or development, also the Venezuelan population has a life expectancy at birth of 74.2 years. 10 SOCIAL INDICATORS OF BOLIVARIAN REPUBLIC OF VENEZUELA Men Women Total Population1 15.351.315 p. 15.269.089 p. 30.620.404 p. Expected 2016 31.518.000 p. Population pyramid 2 Population 34 inhabitants per Population rate 1.26 % density Km2 growth Men Women Total Life expectancy 70.9 years 76.8 years 73.7 years Maternal mortality 95 (per 1000 Happiness index3 Position 84. (6.084) rate inhabitants) HDI 0.612 (high) Start of schooling 4 6.06 years Source: United Nations Organization. Available at: http://data.un.org/Default.aspx 1 Data for 2015. 2 Estimated data for 2016. Source: https://populationpyramid.net/es/venezuela/2015/ 3 Data for 2015. Source: http://worldhappiness.report/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/03/HR-V1Ch2_web.pdf 4 Data for 2014. 11 Geography Location Venezuela is a country located at the most northern point of South America, with coasts on the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It has a land area of 916,445 km2. Its borders are: Brazil and Guyana to the East, Colombia and Brazil to the South, Colombia to the West, and the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean to the North. Because of its location, Venezuela enjoys a tropical climate with two seasons a rainy one and drought one, with temperatures ranging between 28 ° C.