KCCI warns of shrinking handicraft exports, seeks urgent support from Parliamentary panel
Srinagar, Sep 15: The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) on Monday told a visiting Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce that handicraft exports from Jammu and Kashmir have dropped sharply from Rs 1,162 crore in 2023–24 to Rs 733 crore in 2024–25, urging immediate policy interventions to revive the sector.
The delegation, led by KCCI Senior Vice President Ashiq Hussain Shangloo and Joint Secretary General Umer Nazir Tibetbaqal, met the Committee headed by its chairperson Dola Sen in Srinagar. Members of Parliament, including Renuka Chowdhury, Shri Awasthi Ramesh, Yusuf Pathan, Dr Shiv Pal Singh Patel, Sadanand Mhalu Shet Tanavade, Santosh Panday, Prasun Banerjee, and Dr Prashant Yadaorao Padole were present.
KCCI submitted a detailed memorandum highlighting challenges in trade, industry, logistics, credit access, and exports. It called for warehousing facilities abroad, recognition of J&K under the Export Promotion Mission, an Inland Container Depot in Kashmir, and revival of the 3 per cent interest subvention on export finance to arrest the slide in handicraft trade.
The Chamber also flagged the absence of an industrial incentive scheme, delays in business approvals, lack of logistics parks, weak implementation of procurement policies, and hurdles in credit flow due to outdated CIBIL scores. It pushed for a genuine single-window clearance system, a relaxation framework for loans in J&K, and strict enforcement of preferential procurement for local units.
On textiles, KCCI asked for NABL accreditation of the Pashmina testing lab at SKUAST-K, distribution of 500 modern looms to artisans by 2025, and certification of only 100 per cent handmade fibre under the proposed Golden Pashmina Brand. It also sought global exposure for IT startups from the Valley to help them integrate into the digital economy.
KCCI said it was hopeful that the Parliamentary Committee would take its recommendations seriously to shape a stronger and more inclusive economic future for Jammu and Kashmir.
