With an aim to upgrade their Pashmina testing laboratory, Nepal Pashmina Industries Association (NPIA) has sought financial support from the Government. The association has sought a sum of NPR 10 million to fund acquisition of high-tech machine to facilitate testing of Pashmina and to enhance the laboratory infrastructure.
As claimed by the association, presently the laboratory lacks proper infrastructure and the machine currently in use has turned obsolete, as it fails to comply with international standards. The yarn testing laboratory also does not have satisfactory temperature maintenance and adequate space mandated to upgrade it to international standards.
Meanwhile, the Optical Fibre Diameter Analyser machine imported by the Nepal Bureau of Standard and Metrology after obtaining seven million NPR in grant from the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) also lacks the ability to precisely distinguish the Pashmina yarn which is Chyangra wool.
The machine recognises all yarns below 17 micron as Pashmina, and hence the yarn of a rabbit or other animals below 17 micron is also identified as Pashmina. Thus, there arises a need for more high-tech machine which can corroborate Chyangra wool.
Presently the Nepal Government identifies all yarns below 17 micron as Pashmina yarn.
Chyangra Pashmina has earned the status of a registered brand in over 41 countries by now and if the laboratory certification proves erroneous it would badly harm the domestic industry's reputation in international market.
India, China, Japan and many other countries have machines which have the ability to easily identify Chyangra Pashmina.
Pashmina has been recognized as the world's smoothest, light weight, exotically delicate and finest natural insulating fibre obtained from the inner coats of the mountain goats found at around 3,000 metres in the Himalayas and generally known as Chyangra in the region.
As outer layer of Chyangra fibres are comparatively thicker and rougher these are removed and only the inner layer fibres below 16.5 microns are used for preparing Pashmina.
As stated by the Trade and Export Promotion Centre, Nepal shipped wool and Pashmina products worth NPR 1.63 billion during 2010-11, as against 2009-10's exports worth NPR 1.31 billion.
Established in 2000, NPIA is an autonomous, non- governmental, non-profit making organization as well as representative body under which all Nepalese Pashmina entrepreneurs such as manufacturers, exporters, raw materials importers and dyers are brought together to strengthen themselves for sustainable development of entire Nepalese Pashmina sector.
Fibre2fashion News Desk - India
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