The President, Kashmir Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI), Javid Ahmad Tenga, on Tuesday, participated in an interaction with Ms. Neelam Shami Rao, Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, at the Government Arts Emporium, Srinagar. During the session, the KCCI President flagged several pressing issues concerning the handicrafts sector of Jammu & Kashmir.
The meeting was attended by senior officials of the Ministry of Textiles, the Commissioner Secretary Industries and Commerce, Vikramjeet Singh, Director Handicrafts and Handloom, Musurrat Islam.
At the outset, Mr. Tenga welcomed the decision of the GST Council, appreciating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision in reducing GST on handicraft items from 12% to 5%. He observed that Kashmir’s handicraft sector carries a legacy of over 600 years, tracing back to the arrival of Shah-e-Hamdan (RA), and continues to be the mainstay for over 3.8 lakh artisans directly earning their livelihood.
The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) has urged the Government to provide a dedicated warehousing facility for Kashmir handicrafts at Dubai Mart. President KCCI, Javid Ahmad Tenga, said the issue has already been taken up by Chamber with the Hon’ble Union Minister for Commerce & Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal.
Mr. Tenga highlighted the decline in export figures from Kashmir and stressed the need to facilitate artisans and exporters with greater participation in national and international fairs. He said such initiatives will help strengthen the handicraft sector and contribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of making India the third-largest economy.
Highlighting the challenges faced by the sector, he expressed concern over the intrusion of cheap imitation products, which threaten the authenticity of Kashmiri crafts. He urged that Kashmir-based artisans and exporters be given dedicated participation in reputed domestic and international fairs, especially Reverse Buyer-Seller Meets (RBSM), with specific allocation of stalls to KCCI members for direct engagement with global buyers. He further proposed the organisation of a Buyer-Seller Meet in Srinagar, in collaboration with the concerned Councils, which would not only strengthen the handicrafts sector but also promote tourism that has witnessed a downturn after recent incident at Pahalgam.
The KCCI President also raised the issue of reintroduction of interest subvention of 3 per cent on export finance, especially for small exporters and artisan businesses in Kashmir.
Regarding ROSCTL, President KCCI pointed out that under the current scheme, woollen and Pashmina shawls (ITC-HS Code: 62142010) receive capped benefits of Rs. 438 per piece, whereas authentic handmade Kashmiri shawls range between Rs. 7,000 to over Rs. 1,00,000. Equating premium handcrafted shawls with low-value products, he said, has created structural distortions in policy. KCCI strongly demanded the removing capping in ROSCTL and the restoration of FOB-based incentives as provided under the earlier MEIS scheme. The Secretary of Textiles suggested that KCCI make a representation about it which will be looked into.
Drawing attention to success stories, Tenga noted that the recognition of Kanihama (Budgam) as a Handloom Village had delivered tangible benefits for local artisans. He urged similar recognition for other craft-dense regions, particularly North Kashmir, known globally for its handmade silk carpets, which should be declared a “Carpet Cluster.” He suggested that other districts with high concentrations of artisans also be notified as Handicraft Clusters for targeted development.
Emphasising the importance of global outreach, he underlined that Europe and the Middle East remain core markets for Kashmiri crafts. To expand exports, he sought structured market study tours and trade delegations under official schemes. The Secretary Textiles encouraged KCCI to submit a detailed proposal identifying priority countries for such initiatives.
The interaction concluded with assurance from the Secretary that the concerns and proposals of KCCI would receive due consideration in policy planning for the handicrafts sector.
