Kashmir carpet industry shrinks as young artisans leave

Kashmir's handwoven carpet industry is shrinking as younger generations turn away from the long hours and low pay of a craft once central to the region's exports.

The carpets, traditionally woven from mulberry silk or pure sheep wool, can involve between 300 and several thousand knots per square inch. Depending on size and design, a carpet can take a group of artisans up to a year to finish and can sell for $20,000 in the international market.

Until the 1980s, carpets were Kashmir's top export, but trade volumes have declined since then. Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have added pressure on the industry.

Weaver Bashir Ahmad, 78, told AFP the decline was painful to watch. He said more young people could have made a living from the craft, but that conditions had changed.

A master weaver now earns about 500 rupees, or $5, a day, less than many unskilled labourers. Industry estimates suggest the sector employs around 30,000 people, down from hundreds of thousands three decades ago.

Some older artisans are continuing. Mushtaq Ahmad, 75, who has woven carpets for 50 years, said he would keep working for as long as he had the strength.

Zubair Ahmad, director of the Indian Institute of Carpet Technology in Srinagar, said officials were trying to modernise the sector and attract new workers by providing modern carpet looms free of cost.

He also said geographical indication tags had been introduced to help distinguish genuine Kashmiri carpets from cheaper imitations and to address mistrust between buyers and sellers.