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Kathmandu Saturday September 22, 2001 Ashwin 06, 2058.
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Export of Pashmina dwindles
Post Report
KATHMANDU, Sept 21 – The export of Pashmina, the third
largest exportable item contributing 7 percent of the total Nepalese exports, has dwindled
seriously due to the combined affect of shrinking quality and worsening security of the
country.
The slumping quality of Pashmina products, which has
deteriorated heavily in recent months mainly due to widespread use of low quality imported
Pashmina yarn, is the cause of plunge in its demand in the international market.
Krishna Prasad Acharya, Managing Director of Pashupati
Indrayani Pashmina Industry blames that the deteriorating quality followed by widespread
use of low quality Pashmina yarn are some of the main causes for shrinking export of
Pashmina seen in recent months.
In addition, concerned entrepreneurs say, the problem of
deteriorating quality has been further complicated by the growing trend of mixing carpet
wool with the expensive Pashmina yarn.
The entrepreneurs add that another trouble for Pashmina
manufacturers came from the introduction of power-looms that almost replaced hand-looms.
Since the Nepalese Pashmina products in Europe and America are marketed as a complete
hand-made products, the widespread use of machine in weaving the Pashmina shawls has
greatly eroded its fame," says Acharya.
Besides the shrinking quality of the Pashmina products, the
lack of conducive industrial environment back home is another influential factor resulting
closure of hundreds of industries producing exportable goods.
Concerned Pashmina entrepreneurs claim that an estimated 90
percent of the factories are already closed partly because of worsening security scenario
in the country.
Bipin Raj Bhattel, Sales Officer of Nepal Pashmina Industry
says that the factories have been closed and the show rooms too will be shut down soon.
"The export as well as local sales has plunged to almost zero," Bhattel said.
Though the immediate future of the Pashmina industry seems
gloomy, yet some of the industries, which are still serving, have stressed some urgent
measurers to protect them from being completely vanished.
"The risk for a few remaining competitors runs deep as
there is no organization or institution to certify the quality of the products," says
Acharya who owns Everest Pasmina Industry.
As a result of the closure of the industries, lower middle
class families have become the direct victims of the recession, who had taken loans from
the bank and sold off their household properties to buy costly looms.
An estimated 100,000 looms have been lying idle and hundreds
of employees have been laid off after the downfall in the industry that began at the end
of 2000.
According to the Nepal Foreign Trade Statistics compiled by
Nepal Rastra Bank, the volume of Pashmina export to India in 2000/01 was contracted by 23
percent. Though the accumulated annual figure of Pashmina export to third country
increased as compared to previous year, its export in the fourth quarter had recorded a
whooping decline of over 90 per cent against the figure of first quarter.
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