• India
  • Dec 01

KVIC to begin pashmina production in Varanasi

The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has roped in four Khadi institutions from Varanasi and Ghazipur districts of Uttar Pradesh for processing raw pashmina wool and weaving it further into woollen fabric.

The globally acclaimed pashmina wool products, which are indigenous to the high altitude regions of Leh-Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir, will now be made in Varanasi also. 

What is pashmina?

• Pashmina is a type of fine cashmere wool. The name comes from ‘pashmineh’, which in Persian means “made from wool”.

• India produces the finest pashmina (cashmere) wool in the world, the main and best quality coming from the Changthang plateau of Ladakh region. 

• Pashmina wool is produced by Changra (pashmina) goats in Ladakh and Chegu breed of goat in the eastern parts of Himalayas. The goats are reared in Ladakh by the Changpa tribe inhabiting Changthang region. 

• Pashmina shawls are famous throughout the world and exported to various countries. They are hand spun, woven and embroidered in Kashmir, and made from fine cashmere fibre.

• According to the government, about 50 tonnes raw pashmina is produced in Leh-Ladakh per annum out of which, after cleaning and processing, only 15 tonnes of dehaired wool is actually taken for production of pashmina wool products. Out of this 15 tonnes, only 500 kg is utilised in Leh-Ladakh by a few small units for manufacturing. 

• Pashmina weaving in Varanasi will commence from January next year and 20 Khadi artisans will be given 30-day training in weaving. About 200 kg of pashmina wool processed in Delhi will be supplied to artisans in Leh by the first week of December.

• These artisans from Leh will spin the wool by December-end that will be brought to Varanasi for weaving. 

• The processed pashmina wool would be supplied back to the artisans in Leh-Ladakh. 

• The move will open new job opportunities for local artisans and availability of genuine and affordable pashmina wool products in Varanasi. 

Reconstruction Plan for J&K state for Pashmina Wool Development

The government has announced a special package for development of pashmina wool with budget allocation of Rs 50 crore. The project envisaged the development of pashmina by means of vertical integration of the entire supply chain from production of raw pashmina to marketing of the pashmina products. The specific objectives of the project are to increase the income and job opportunities for the human resource associated with the pashmina craft by improving productivity, diversification, product quality and marketing avenues while establishing pashmina as a globally known brand.

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