The Jammu and Kashmir government started a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the famed Kashmiri carpets with a quick response (QR) code to discourage counterfeit production of it.
The Carpet Export Promotion Council (CEPC), in collaboration with the Jammu and Kashmir Directorate of Handicrafts and Handloom, held a seminar in New Delhi to raise awareness about the GI registration of authentic carpets from Kashmir.
“The QR code attached to the GI tag will help in reviving the sheen and glory of the Kashmiri carpet industry by certifying the genuineness of the hand-knotted carpets with relevant information of the manufacturer, weaver, district and raw material,” said Mehmood Ahmad Shah, director, handicrafts and handloom, Kashmir.
He said, this innovation would go a long way in preserving the quality of hand-knotted carpets and it would boost exports as they would be treated at par with the quality/price of Iranian and Turkish hand-knotted carpets.
Umar Hameed, chairman of the CEPC, said the initiative would transform and preserve the future of the carpet industry.
“The QR-code label cannot be copied or misused. It will discourage the counterfeit production of carpets that cost the livelihood of the weavers’ community and the industry as well,” he said.
One of the weavers Gulzar Ahmad Ganni who has been weaving Kashmiri carpets for the last 40 years, said, “The craft of weaving carpets demands a great deal of finesse and patience. It takes months to produce one hand-knotted carpet and we feel discouraged when duplicate items are sold in the market. This predatory practice dents our business. I hope the new initiative will bring change.”
Abdul Majid Sofi, another weaver of Kashmir carpets cited the importance of strict labelling and certifications to safeguard weavers’ interest. Both the weavers are considered masters of their crafts.