Last Updated on March 25, 2022 at 6:19 pm
The launch of Geographical Indication (GI) for the famed hand-knotted Kashmiri Carpets by Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, to revive the sheen and glory of Kashmiri Carpet Industry has bestowed a new lease of life to the carpet trade in Kashmir.
The GI certifies the genuineness of Hand-knotted Kashmir Carpets with relevant information of the manufacturer, weaver, district and raw material.
An official of the Handicrafts Department said the innovation will go a long way in preserving the quality of hand-knotted carpets.
The artisans and traders dealing with the Kashmiri carpet say the initiative was much needed to see Kashmir carpets flourishing again.
“Kashmiri carpet was the big brand enough to sell it anywhere in the world but some people were selling Iranian and machine-made carpets in the name of handmade Kashmiri carpets. Now buyers can distinguish between hand and machine-made carpets,” said a group of artisans of village Gadekhoud, known for carpet weaving and artisans here have been weaving carpets for decades.
They also said that GI Tagging will fetch better returns to their products and would certainly encourage and motivate younger generation to learn carpet weaving for preserving this art.
On February 11 this year, history was created with the launch of QR-code by Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, for handmade Kashmir carpets, first-of-its-kind in the country.
Customers could now verify the authenticity and other requisite details of carpets produced in Jammu and Kashmir and assure themselves that the product they purchased was not fake.
The QR code-based system can help in checking the cheating and misbranding that has badly dented the carpet Industry in Kashmir.
The QR-code based label will capture vital parameters of the carpet such as GI user, manufacturer, artisan, knots per square inch, the material used, among others.
