Only Indian Kashmiri Pashmina is Orginal- Indian Government Declared
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A ll fine wool is no longer Pashmina. Only yarn and products made from
the Pashmina goat and in the Kashmir valley can now lay claim to the
name.
The Geographical Indication Registry of India granted Geographical
Indication (GI) status to Pashmina yarn on 12 September under the
Geographical Indications Act.
A government official who did not want to be named confirmed that this
happened last week.
A GI status, the same that is given to Scotch whisky, Darjeeling tea
and Champagne, ensures that a name can only be used by produce from a
particular geography.
Since products such as Darjeeling tea, Champagne, and Pashmina have a
global market, a GI status ensures that imitators from other
geographies cannot use the name.
Pashmina, a kind of cashmere, comes from the pashmina goat in Kashmir.
Pashmina shawls and stoles are popular across the world and bring in
revenue of Rs350-650 crore for Kashmiri artisans.
Pakistan had filed an objection to India’s award of GI status to
Pashmina claiming that the fine wool is produced in various parts of
that country.
Every country has its own GI registry. Before it awards a GI status,
it calls for and reviews objections from other countries. It then
decides to award or not award GI status. Once the GI status is awarded
by a national registry, it is recognized around the world.
“A consultative committee set up for this purpose rejected the
objections made by Pakistan,” said the official.
India’s GI registry also had to deal with applications from rival
organizations in Kashmir.
The Crafts Development Institute (CDI), a Srinagar based autonomous
body that comes under the ministry of textiles laid claims to GI
status for Pashmina in 2005.
Soon after, in 2006, the Kashmir Handmade Pashmina Promotion Trust or
KHPPT filed another claim.
“But we were told that a proposal already exists, so we filed an
objection and the case went on for two years,” said Aniruddha
Mookerjee, senior director, Wildlife Trust of India or WTI which works
with KHPPT. WTI started working with the Pashmina industry in 2000-01,
to wean off artisans and weavers involved in the Shahtoosh trade,
which had resulted in the near destruction of the Chiru antelope.
On 25 August, CDI, KHPPD and Tahafuz (a body of all Kashmiri artisans,
which already controls a few GIs) reached an agreement and decided
that the GI for Pashmina be granted to Tahafuz.
“Among the apprehensions were that the original proposal only
recognized the final product and not the yarn and also that it
recognized machine-made Pashmina, whereas the original shawl is hand
made from scratch,” said Mookerjee.
Another contention was that the proposal demarcated the whole state as
the region for the GI whereas it is only made in the Kashmir valley.
Both concerns have been addressed in the GI which is valid for ten
years and can be renewed after this.
“It will be for the better of the region and people and Pashmina, as
there are lakhs of fakes in the market. Now there is exclusivity
attached to them,” said Dahlia Sen Oberoi, an Intellectual Property
lawyer.
The holders of the GI are now preparing to make the most of it “Just
like Burgundy wine, each product will have a serial number to ensure
authorization. We do expect certified products to command a much
higher price,” added Mookerjee.
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