Lalitpur, Apr. 19
Nepali pashmina market has
reached the size of Rs. 6 billion.
“The country exported pashmina worth Rs. 3 billion in 2018 while
tourists visiting Nepal have taken pashmina products worth 2.5 billion. Combined
with the domestic market, it has reached the size of about Rs. 6 billion,” said
Durga Bikram Thapa, President of Nepal Pashmina Industries Association (NPIA)
while speaking at the 18th Annual General Meeting of the
organisation.
He said that the product had a potential to grow at a rapid speed if the
government and the private sector joined hands to promote the Nepali pashmina
products in the international markets.
“We need to launch a publicity campaign in the major destination markets
about the quality of Nepali pashmina and its trademark,” he said.
Nepali pashmina entrepreneurs are sending their products in the
international markets with a collective brand name ‘Chyangra Pashmina’. The
trademark is registered in 47 countries and the NPIA has started process for
its renewal in some of them.
Thapa demanded early implementation of the agreement with the
CIMCMT/OBOR of China to export 500,000 pieces of Chyangra Pasmina there. It will create additional opportunities to
Nepali entrepreneurs, he said.
Nepal and China, during the visit of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in June
last year, had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to export Nepali
pashmina products to China.
In order to maintain desired standards in pashmina products, the Department
of Standards and Metrology Nepal has recently started to assign ‘Nepal Standard
(NS)’ mark to them.
But the entrepreneurs have said that the product is facing hard times due
to the fake label products in the market.
“There are duplicate pashmina products such as shawl and scarf made with
viscose and polyester yarn which carry label saying 100 per cent pashmina, made
in Nepal. Customers are being cheated from such products and at the same time,
image of quality product has also been deteriorating,” said Thapa.
Change your mindset: Yadav
Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supply
Matrika Prasad Yadav urged both the business community and bureaucracy to
change their mindset and support each other in the business and process.
“Until and unless we change our mindset and become more open towards
each other, there will not be any visible change. If you don’t change your
mindset, change in the political system and Constitution wouldn’t work at all,”
he said.
He criticised the private sector that it was ever complaining and
demanding and less solution seeking.
“The government wants to forge a long-term and sustained partnership
with you. Let's create new and strategic relations that will support both of
us. The government needs a reliable partner in development and the private
sector is the best alternative,” he said.
Minister Yadav expressed government’s commitment to support pashmina
entrepreneurs in producing raw materials in the country and said that it was
the time to give priority to product enhancement.
He also urged the businessmen to consider their workers as partners in
business development and prosperity.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 20 April 2019.
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