Pashmina weaving in Varanasi will commence from January next year.

This is the first ever attempt to introduce the heritage craft of pashmina weaving outside J&K and familiarise the artisans in the rest of India with this unique art, said the Indian Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises said in a press release.

About twenty Khadi artisans from Varanasi will be given 30-days training in Pashmina weaving. The four Khadi Institutions of Varanasi division have started processing of raw pashmina wool in Delhi. Nearly 200 KG of pashmina wool processed in Delhi will be supplied to artisans in Leh by the first week of December. These Leh artisans will spin the wool by December-end that will be brought to Varanasi for weaving.

The development comes after a meeting of Vinai Kumar Saxena, chairman of KVIC, with the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, RK Mathur recently where LG informed that around 50 MT raw pashmina is produced in Leh-Ladakh per annum out of which, after cleaning and processing, only 15 MT dehaired wool is actually used for production of pashmina wool products. Even in just 15 MT dehaired pashmina wool, a meagre 500 kg quantity, i.e., 0.5 MT only, is utilised in Leh-Ladakh by a few small units for manufacturing of pashmina products, which is causing loss of employment in Ladakh.

The Pashmina Raw Wool Processing Centre in Delhi will ensure round the year supply of pashmina roving to the artisans in Leh-Ladakh where all activities remain suspended for six months owing to extreme cold.

KVIC, after one-month training, provided 100 new model charkhas of 8-spindle to the local artisans in 4 villages of Leh-Ladakh to start the spinning activities of pashmina wool. KVIC has also provided 25 high quality 48-inch width looms in Leh which will not only minimise the effort in weaving for artisans but will also produce all sizes of fabric.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KD)