Shawl makers seek cluster development to boost pashmina exports

Pashmina market: Home to the finest range of handcrafted shawls, carpets and papier-mâché products Kashmir, official data show, has recently recorded the highest increase. Against Rs 165.98 crore in 2021-22, shawls worth Rs 424.20 were exported in 2022-23. Republic Business spoke to several craftsmen, traders and exporters, who are hopeful that industry-friendly policies, such as cluster development initiative of the government could provide a shot in the arm for the pashmina segment of shawls. 

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Cooperative sector development 

A recent tie up between Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) and khadi institutions from Varanasi and Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh for processing pashmina wool primarily produced in Ladakh region is being seen as a step to enhance shawl production.  Khadi institutions of Varanasi purchased 500 kg of raw Pashmina wool from Leh which have been brought to Delhi for processing.

Image credit: Flickr 

In a further endeavour to promote handicrafts, Handicrafts and Handlooms Department of Kashmir last year acquired a state-of-the-art equipment known as the “OFDA 4000”. Speaking with Republic Business, Mahmood Ahmad Shah, Director Handicrafts and Handlooms, Kashmir said the equipment is unique and its availability would enhance the testing process for the classification of pashmina and other fibres.  

As per Shah, Handloom and Handicrafts Policy of J&K is focussed on making available adequate supply of raw material like wool and silk yarn available to weavers and craftsmen. “This equipment is a gamechanger in the testing and authentication process of pashmina, an exquisite fabric known for its luxurious warmth and softness,” Shah said. 

Notably, Jammu and Kashmir achieved a milestone in November last year by issuing Geographic Indication (GI) labels to over 20,000 pashmina shawls and 9,000 carpets. Kashmir’s pashmina shawls and carpet also got GI tags in 2021 and 2022, respectively, to fight counter-branding. GI tagging is a recognition granted to products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities, reputation, or characteristics that are essentially attributable to that place of origin.

Preserving authenticity 

More than 55 years ago, Ghulam Muhammad  Shah (73), began weaving the ‘kota’ variety of pashmina shawls. Taking sips of the quintessential Kashmiri kahwa, Shah recollected his younger days of putting together colourful cashmere threads, made of natural fibre. 

A skilled weaver, Shah says, the handloom policy of the country must ensure shawl artisans’ welfare. “There is an immediate need to introduce policies to facilitate easier ways of availing loans. Shawls are our bread and butter. It takes days and weeks of labourious weaving before a shawl reaches a showroom. How can we allow fake products to rob us? It is imminent to keep a check on misrepresentation of machine-made shawls being?” quipped Shah. 

Shah underlined that any intricate pashmina shawl can even take as much as two years to make. He says policymakers must realise that lack of artisan-friendly initiatives can be a death knell to pashmina’s identity. “Working 10-12 hours a day is taxing for the shawl weavers, especially of my age. Policy measures must ensure upliftment, not just mine but the entire weavers fraternity,” Shah said.  

Better testing facilities 

Kashmir Chamber of Industries and Commerce (KCCI), an apex trade lobby of the valley, has time and again raised the issue of confiscation and poor testing of pashmina shawls with the central government. KCCI President Javed Ahmad Tenga told Republic Business that increasing cases of seizure of shawl consignments by the customs department at international airports in the country must be addressed. 

“Kashmiri shawls have the potential to record exports worth Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 crore mark if bottlenecks are removed. KCCI has time and again apprised the successive government about this centuries-old cottage craft, which is the source of employment for thousands of men and women,” said KCCI President. 

As per Tenga microscopes at the airports can detect banned shahtoosh guard hair, wool from the chiru goat or Tibetan antelope, in what are classified as pashmina shawls (wool from the pashmina goat). Usually shawls seized at the airports are sent for laboratory testing in Dehradun or Kolkata. The shawl traders have to wait for months to get a report. The reports are often inconclusive and cause traders inconvenience. 

Tenga said the Ministry for Forest, Environment and Climate Change had promised to set up a DNA testing lab in Gurugram. KCCI has also demanded the installation of a state-of-the-art pashmina testing machine in Srinagar as well in Delhi for simplification of the clearance at customs. 

Fayaz Ahmad Shabnam, a trade union leader, who has been vocal about the welfare of the valley’s artisans, says dwindling wages are discouraging youngsters, especially women from joining the shawl-producing workforce. “Many contractors are misusing gullible shawl weavers and offering them low wages. These same people are projecting that craftsmen are being treated fairly. I am sure the truth will prevail one day,” said Shabnam.  He said providing artisans a platform through exhibitions, whether at the national or international level, will make their business more profitable. 

Exquisite shawl shopping 

The most exquisite of pashmina are the ‘kani’ shawls. A cursory look at e-commerce portals indicated that the cost of the kani variety of pashmina shawls starts from Rs 45,000 and goes up to a whopping Rs 10 lakh one has to shell out for a “do-rukha embroidered pashmina shawl”.  

The collection of pashmina shawls in the retail market, also include a men's signature collection shawl priced at Rs 1.80 lakh a piece.  The pashmina is made from luxurious wool that is derived from the fine undercoat of the Himalayan mountain goat. This wool is soft, lightweight, and extremely warm which makes it a great choice for any season. It is often suggested that one can hand wash pashmina with cold water in a gentle cycle with a mild shampoo.