J&K: Authorities on toes as demand for GI-tagged Pashmina shawls rises

Srinagar: Demand for geographical indication (GI) tagging of Pashmina shawls in Kashmir has surged over the past few years, with the only laboratory in Srinagar conducting around 150 certifications every day. However, there is still a minimum lag of 45 days in meeting the demand.

Officials said there is currently a demand for 200 to 250 certifications of Pashmina shawls every day at the Pashmina Testing and Quality Certification Centre at the Craft Development Institute (CDI) in Srinagar.

The GI certification, Pashmina dealers and artisans said, has helped establish the quality and cultural distinctiveness of Pashmina products, reasserting the authenticity, tradition and craftsmanship associated with this high-value product from Kashmir.


"Customers specifically ask for GI-tagged Pashmina shawls. But as of now, the department certifies 20 shawls per month for a registered firm and three shawls for an artisan on Fridays every week. This needs to be augmented so that we can cater to the demand," said Zahoor Ahmad, a Pashmina shawl trader from Srinagar.

The certification, another official said, has helped the industry, which includes both traders and artisans. "We conduct microscopic certification of Pashmina threads below 16 microns at this laboratory. We have three teams conducting certifications, comprising around 17 people, but we need at least 15 more, including at least seven experts for certification," said the official. A senior official said the wool used in Kashmir is sourced from Ladakh with some imported from Tibet, Mongolia and Afghanistan.

CDI is now planning to increase the number of machines and human resources at the laboratory to cater to the growing demand. "As of now, four of our people are being trained at the Wool Research Association in Thane, which will help us amplify the certification process. We are also getting new equipment, including a digital microscope and Optical Fibre Diameter Analyser-2000, to further expand the laboratory," said Mussarat Islam, director of the Handloom and Handicrafts Department in Kashmir. Islam said that from conducting 40 tests per day, the lab is now conducting 150 to 170 tests.

"From a backlog of three months, we have now reduced it to 45 days. We conducted 11,000 tests in 2024-25 and 24,000 in 2025-26. We are now aiming for at least 50,000 tests in 2026-27. In the next five years, we will see a transformed handicrafts and handloom sector here," said Islam.