SARAS Mela in Vijayawada Logs ₹7.17 Crore in Nine-Day Sales

The National SARAS Mela–2026 in Vijayawada recorded cumulative sales of ₹7.17 crore between October 15 and 23, with 2.77 lakh products sold, according to the A.P. State Rural Livelihoods Mission. Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Nimuben Jayantibhai Bambhaniya visited the fair on Saturday and used the occasion to press one message above all: packaging sells.

Interacting with women entrepreneurs from various Self Help Groups (SHGs), the Minister learnt about their handicraft products, their business activities and their experiences in producing and marketing goods. Her advice was concrete. She urged the women to focus on attractive and quality packaging, noting that improved packaging can enhance product appeal, attract customers and help increase sales.

The intervention goes to the heart of a familiar problem for rural producers. Handicraft goods made in villages often compete against factory-made items that arrive on shelves already dressed for the buyer. The Minister's argument is that a modest investment in how a product looks can change how it sells — a shift from competing on price alone to competing on presentation.

What did the Minister say about the Lakhpati Didis?

Addressing the gathering after the interaction, Ms. Bambhaniya highlighted the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in empowering Lakhpati Didis and enabling rural women to become financially independent and self-reliant. The Lakhpati Didis are SHG women whose incomes cross the lakh mark, and the programme has become a visible part of the government's rural livelihoods push.

She also framed the change in status terms. The Minister appreciated the transformation of SHG women from wage earners into entrepreneurs who create livelihood opportunities and generate employment for others. That shift — from earning a daily wage to employing others — is the economic core of the government's self-help group strategy.

Later, the Minister toured the exhibition stalls. She viewed the products showcased by SHG women from different States and encouraged the participating women entrepreneurs.

Why does Vijayawada matter for future editions?

The Minister expressed confidence that organising the event in Vijayawada would encourage wider participation by States in future editions and create greater opportunities for women-led enterprises across the country. Hosting a national mela in an Andhra Pradesh city signals that the platform is not confined to the metros, and the participation of SHG women from multiple States at the stalls supports that reading.

The sales figures give the argument weight. Nearly 2.77 lakh products moved in nine days of trading, from October 15 to 23. That volume, channelled through a single venue, shows the demand that surfaces when rural producers get direct access to urban buyers — precisely the access that packaging quality can convert into repeat customers.

What is the takeaway for SHG enterprises?

The mela model works as a bridge. It connects village production units with a concentrated pool of buyers, and it lets government messaging reach the entrepreneurs directly, as it did on Saturday through Ms. Bambhaniya's packaging pitch. The ₹7.17 crore sales total is the measure of that bridge in this edition.

The open question is retention. A mela buyer who takes home a well-packaged product has something worth reordering; a buyer handed an unwrapped one may not. If the Minister's packaging message takes hold across SHG clusters, the sales figure reported for future editions of the SARAS Mela will be the number to watch.