Traders demand ban on machine-made Kashmiri shawls

24 Mar '10

2 min read

As the machine made embroidered shawls are misbranded as Kashmiri shawls and a threat is posed to the handmade Kashmiri shawls and stoles sector, the traders while articulating their concern, raised a demand for enactment of a law forbidding the same. The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry convened a meeting to discuss the issue.

Abdul Hamid Punjabi, Vice President, KCC&I, while presiding over the meeting stated that the ancient heritage craft over years has been a source of employment for numerous artisans dwelling in various quarters of the Kashmir Valley. He also added that, it has been a great impediment to the growth for Kashmir's hand-made product, as it has been taken over by the machine-made embroidered shawls and stoles from China and Amritsar.

Even prior to this, the Shawls Makers Association had approached the Minister for Industries and Commerce, so as to persuade him to enact a law, restricting the production of embroidered shawls and stoles with the help of machines, within Kashmir.

At the conclusion of the meeting, it was decided that the participants will be employing their efforts towards generating awareness amongst the traders of this craft, so as to create a consensus to pressurise the Government to frame a law, banning production of such crafts on machines.

It was also noted that, a few unscrupulous traders, are engaged in manufacturing of those machine-embroidered shawls and stoles within the state by employing workers from other states or getting it produced outside the state, thus endangering the states ancient craft.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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