Bad news from Kashmir

Saturday, May 30, 2009
From: http://showkeenmir.blogspot.com/2009/05/future-of-pashmina-trade-in-shambles.html

Future of Pashmina trade in shambles
Showkeen Mir
15-5-2009, Srinagar

The Pashmina shawl which was once the pride of Jammu and Kashmir and anyone visiting the valley across the world was buying the same with the enthusiasm and happiness. But the future of the persons associated with this profession is in dark because of availability of cheap duplicate Pashmina shawls in the local markets.

Pashmina shawls have been woven on handlooms from wool handspun from the disheveled coat of a goat, which lives in the heights of the Himalayas in the Ladakh region of Jammu And Kashmir State.

Hundreds of Pashmina weavers, however, have felt obligated to take to other professions. For, low-priced and machine-made shawls available around are affecting the original pieces' demand and particularly the duplicate items available here from Amritsar.

People in thousands are associated with this trade. Ladies spin the wool, the men weave the shawls and then there are other's who do embroidery on these shawls and the local hawkers sell these shawls. But these days we are facing problems due to the fakes from Amritsar. Due to this our business suffers very lot, said Abdul Rashid, a wholesaler dealing in Pashmina shawls in Srinagar.
Nearly 60,000 Pashmina shawls are still woven in Kashmir a year “Shahtoosh” wool derived from the hair of goats shawls made from this wool are considered the world's finest.

From last two years we had low business in the valley because neither govt nor any bank has come forward to make this trade very fruitfull for those who are associated with this since the years,said Noor Mohamad a shawl weaver from Budgam.

Though witnessing the fake penetration into Pashmina shawl trade, the government has decided to make GI mark compulsory for the Pashmina shawls. But the volume of work to be done is so much that the government has not been able to initiate this branding so far.This means from wherever the business is being generated, even from the imitations, it has to come back to Kashmir, to the craftsmen and to the traders.
Second thing is that traditionally the outside people who were doing business now they will have to pay for this. They can't do business just like this. Like by giving any fake name to their product said the officials associated with this trade.