The Hindu Business Line : Pashmina war

Maintaining that the Pashmina produced in Jammu and Kashmir is far better than that produced in PoK, Farooqi says the final decision now rests with the GI registry.

Haroon Mirani

Amidst all the strife in Kashmir, the region’s handicrafts have now emerged as the new bone of contention between India and Pakistan. The Indian government has been trying to get the Geographical Indicator (GI) patent for some of the finest Kashmiri handicrafts, but these efforts are being blocked by Pakistan, which says it too has a say on the issue.

In March 2006, the Craft Development Institute (CDI) in Srinagar had filed an application for GI patent with the Chennai-based GI registry. But the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industries (RCCI) in Pakistan opposed the move by citing the existence of similar handicrafts in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

“We had applied for a Geographical Indicator patent for Kashmir Pashmina, Kashmir Sozni embroidery and Kashmir Kani shawl,” says Muhammad Shariq Farooqi, Director, CDI Srinagar. “But before we could get the coveted titles, a Pakistan-based business body filed objections against our application.”

A GI patent gives exclusive rights over a label to a specified product produced in a specified geographical region. Before granting the patent, the GI registry usually publishes the matter in its journal, inviting objections, if any, from all around the world in this regard. With Kashmir Pashmina being the major handicraft of the three, it has assumed the central role in the controversy. According to RCCI objections, CDI cannot get the patent for Kashmir Pashmina and other handicrafts because these are also produced by the PoK artisans. It has cited the Gilgit Baltistan region as the main centre of Pashmina production in PoK. RCCI also claims that if India gets the patent for Kashmir Pashmina and other handicrafts in the international market, then it will render the same trade in PoK illegal.

The CDI on its part is readying its set of counter-objections. Stating that the Pashmina produced in Jammu and Kashmir is far better than that produced in PoK, Farooqi says the final decision now rests with the GI registry. While businessmen see the whole issue as politically motivated, experts say the process is likely to be long drawn-out owing to the verification, survey, counter-objections and other procedures involved.

Handmade vs machine-made

A Srinagar-based artisan body, the Kashmir Handmade Pashmina Promotion Trust (KHPPT) is also opposed to the patent application. An organisation of Pashmina weavers, most of whom were previously Shahtoosh weavers, it is backed by the NGO Wildlife Trust of India (WTI). KHPPT says CDI’s patent application is flawed in many respects. Ashfaq Ahmad Matoo, a member of WTI and spokesman for KHPPT, says, “The KHPPT is asking for inclusion of hand-spun Pashmina yarn, and not just the shawl, in the patent, besides exclusion of machine-made products.”

Farooqi admits that some of the objections are valid. “We knew it should have gone to artisans, and in fact we have organised a body of artisans called Tahafuz, but because we didn’t want to lost more time we went ahead with the patent application,” he says. KHPPT says machine-made products should be sold under a different name and Kashmir Pashmina should refer only to the finest product spun and woven by hand. The organisation adds that only the handmade product can secure the livelihoods of thousands of Pashmina weavers and spinners.

Thriving business in fakes

Kashmirinewz

Delicate artistry: The fine, soft and unique Pashmina is entirely hand-made.

Of late, the Pashmina trade in Kashmir has been threatened by the influx of fake and blended Pashmina which is hurting the reputation of the original product. “Pashmina is so delicate that it cannot be worked on a machine, so every process involved in it has to be done manually,” says Ghulam Ahmad Malla, a Pashmina artisan. The artisans handle the delicate yarn with utmost care as they weave it into a shawl.

The weavers have also been hit by the sub-standard products. “Our wages have fallen drastically because of the machine-made products coming from Amritsar and other places. Also, a similar kind of yarn which is not Pashmina is being brought and woven here, and passed off as the Kashmiri product,” says Malla. Improving the lot of the artisans who, unlike the traders, live on small wages is the next challenge after the patent, says Matoo.

Fighting for exclusivity

Pashmina is one of the most delicate, soft and costliest wools on the planet after Shahtoosh. As the Shahtoosh wool has been banned worldwide owing to the illegal poaching of the Chiru goats, Pashmina demand has skyrocketed, prompting many traders to indulge in fake and machine-made Pashmina trade.

Pashmina has a huge market potential globally. According to Mattoo, Kashmir produces the world’s finest Pashmina.

“We produce the Pashmina wool of 12-14 micron thickness while Cashmere wool, which is often passed off as Pashmina, is anywhere between 14-19 micron,” he says. Farooqi feels that the patent application should have gone much earlier “so that brand Pashmina and Cashmere itself could have gone into our kitty, as it is Kashmir which gave these terms to the world. Now it is too late as Pashmina and Cashmere have become a generic name. Nepal says it is producing Pashmina, China says it is producing Pashmina and Pakistan too says it is producing Pashmina,” he says.

China, which is the world’s largest producer of Cashmere wool, also passes most of its wool under the name of Pashmina and this is giving jitters to traders in Kashmir. “Now if Kashmir Pashmina is patented and specificities allotted, such as thickness, manual production and so on, then we will surely strike a goldmine,” says Mattoo. But going by the process involved, the traders here feel the issue will take time to be resolved.

Union Minister for Commerce Jairam Ramesh had during his visit to Srinagar recently confirmed that the patent for Kashmir Pashmina and Sozni would take time as they have encountered objections from Pakistan. “Kashmir Pashmina and Kashmir Sozni would take time as we are encountering objections from Pakistan-based business bodies in this regard,” he said.

There are around 50,000 people associated with the Pashmina trade, including nomads, weavers, spinners, artisans, washers etc. The annual trade in shawls in Kashmir is estimated to be around Rs 550 crore; with the patent in hand this income is expected to multiply several times over.