Machinery Support for Jewelry Artisans …
Capacity building & Livelihood Enhancement initiative …

Place: Moradabad
Month: Sept-2025

Traditional jewelry artisans at the grassroot level possess valuable inherited skills but face declining livelihoods due to manual production methods, low productivity, inconsistent quality, physical drudgery, and limited access to markets. High costs of machinery and lack of capital prevent artisans from upgrading their work processes, making them dependent on out-sourcing and middlemen, restricting income growth. Targeted machinery support is therefore critical to help artisans remain competitive and economically sustainable.

One such artisan group was struggling due to lack of machineries. Therefore, SETU Society sponsored essential jewelry-making machinery and tools, including sheet cutter machines, punch machines, taper drill machines, wire rounding machines, die cutting machines, and anvils with hammers. These machines address key bottlenecks in the production process.

Following benefits & impact were achieved: 

• Higher productivity and output, enabling artisans to meet bulk and time-bound orders
• Improved quality and uniformity, increasing acceptance in organized and higher-value markets
• Enhanced incomes through increased production and better price realization. Also, reduction in defects, rejections & wastages.
• Reduced manual labour and health strain, leading to safer and more dignified working conditions
• Skill upgradation and confidence building, encouraging innovation and design diversification
• Reduced dependence on middlemen and improved market linkages
• Increased profits & reduce costing due to out-sourcing processes & hassles

The machines are simple, require minimal maintenance, and can be used individually or through shared arrangements within artisan clusters. The intervention strengthens household-level economic security, encourages younger generations to continue traditional crafts, and builds community-level production capacity.

The project also aligns with key development priorities, including:

• Livelihood promotion and poverty reduction
• Skill development and capacity building
• Inclusive and sustainable economic growth
• Promotion and preservation of traditional crafts and cultural heritage

Thus, through need-based machinery support, SETU Society has enabled grassroot jewelry artisans to integrate traditional skills with appropriate mechanization. This intervention has improved productivity, income, working conditions, and market access, contributing to sustainable livelihoods and long-term resilience of the artisan community.