Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 16: The rearers of famous Pashmina goats of Leh district today got a huge relief as the Leh administration and SICOP entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for ensuring a fixed market for the Pashmina and for protecting the interests of small weavers of Kashmir.
The SICOP has agreed to lift the existing stock of 8 tonnes of raw Pashmina from Leh at a rate of Rs 3450 per kilograms as against the rate of Rs 2500 per kilograms during last year. This is also the highest ever price of Pashmina that the nomads have got so far including the highest ever increase of Rs 950 per kilograms in a single year.
The MoU was signed between MD, SICOP and President of All Ladakh Pashmina Growers’ Cooperative in the presence of Financial Commissioner, Industries and Commerce, Khurshid Ganai, CEC LAHDC Leh, Rigzin Spalbar, DC Leh Simrandeep Singh and others.
According to the MoU, SICOP will lift the Pashmina produced in Ladakh region every year by depositing its advance with the Pashmina Coooperative and would thus supply assured market to the nomads of Leh and a good price. Further, this would also ensure supply of genuine raw Pashmina to the weavers and artisans of Kashmir and would break the nexus of middlemen.
It may be mentioned that the Ministry of Textiles had set up a committee under the chairmanship of DC Leh Simrandeep Singh comprising Deputy Secretary Textiles and Executive Director, Central Wool Board, Jodhpur, as the members for finding marketing facilities for the Pashmina of Ladakh.
The Committee had recommended auction as the most effective way of fetching the best price for the raw Pashmina. As, such an auction was proposed in Jammu on January 15, 2015. However, later, in order to protect the interests of the small artisans of Kashmir and on the intervention of Department of Industries and Commerce, the Leh administration entered into MoU with SICOP.
The nomads of Ladakh and the Chamber of Commerce and Industries have hailed the signing of the MoU as this would for the first time protect the poor nomads and the weavers from the exploitation of the middlemen.
It may be added that the Ladakh region produces around 50 tonnes of Pashmina, which is regarded as the best and finest in the world. Every year, so far, it was being sold to various traders at first come basis which was not providing optimum price to the nomads.
Recently, the Pashmina of Ladakh and the end-products made out of it have earned its GI patent from Chennai. The signing of this MoU is expected to strengthen this patent as well.
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