Pashmina and Pakistan

Since childhood I have been watching the women in my family wearing beautiful shawls on winter gatherings from Lahore to Abbottabad and beyond. The feel of the fabric is soft, smooth and light. The embroidery on these shawls is immaculate. It takes your imagination right to the beauty of Sonamarg, Pahalgam and Gulmarg. The roar and tranquility of the tributaries of the mighty river Indus, Jhelum and Chenab. The fragrance of the pine trees, grass and wild blossoms spread all over the valley. The aroma of Safron (Zafran/Kaser) from Wazwan (traditional Kashmiri multi course meal) just when it is about to be served and the salty Sheer Chai (Kashmiri pink tea). Yes I am talking about the Pashmina fabric.

Pashmina fabric fetches between 160-200 million dollars in exports to India. Nepal exports stand between 80-100 million dollars and yet there is a new entrant China. The Pashmina goats shed their heavy winter coats in spring season starting off a harvest of the finest of strands from this goat’s wool.

 In the last 65 years Pakistan has not entered this potential market despite having geographically similar areas where Pashmina goats can be reared. In Pakistan areas within Kohistan, Swat, Kaghan, Naran, Upper Kurum and Chitral will have suitable conditions. In India and Nepal each house acts as an independent unit right from combing the goats for soft fibers of Pashmina wool, to weaving, dyeing and finishing. The skilled & crafty hand embroidery is truly a work of art. Nearly a million people from these two countries are associated with this business. The demand for this fabric as a status symbol has been established in most areas of Pakistan from pre-partition days. The price of the finished product says it all be it a scarf, Pheran/Kurta or a shawl. A simple Pashmina shawl with basic embroidery is sold between a range of Rs 35,000 to Rs. 50,000. In the Europe, USA and Canada they fetch much higher from $200 up to $600 a piece. The demand of Pashmina finished products within and outside Pakistan is huge.

 

We in Pakistan can also establish this cottage industry in the most underdeveloped, far flung areas of Pakistan. If I am not mistaken there are hundreds of rest houses and circuit houses in these areas. Why can’t some of them be dedicated to development of this industry? Yes there will be considerable initial investment and for that detailed feasibility studies have to be undertaken but atleast we should start thinking. All these potential areas have their unique and distinguished embroidery patterns. This can act as a barrier to youths abandoning ship and moving to populated cities to seek work as not many opportunities exist in these areas. This will also preserve the skill that is passed from generation to generation. 

Swat and Gilgit-Baltistan have the potential to establish research facilities for this industry as potential infrastructure and human capital exists to a certain extent; after all they were part and parcel of the ancient silk route. They can start with researching on goat breeds, fiber quality, location, infrastructure, market access, training, development and capacity building, finances, employment, resource/profit generation and continuous improvement.

Note: Only we in Democratic Pakistan can afford to spend around $1 Billion to build a ring road to the Shahi Darbar of our dear legally, constitutionally and morally elected Prime Minister his Excellency the great (Duke of Raiwind Sharif) Mr. Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. Plant Date trees in the center of a public motorway LHR-ISB-PESH uprooting the previous ones I am assuming at a huge cost. But beg USAID to give $50 million as seed money to research on cottage industry.