SRINAGAR: To ensure that customers are getting authentic Kashmiri carpets, the Jammu and Kashmir administration on Thursday launched a QR-code based mechanism for certification and labeling of handmade carpets of the Union Territory.
Lt Governor Manoj Sinha launched the QR-code for handmade Kashmir carpets, claiming to be 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. L-G Sinha said that with the help of modern technology, the government will be able to standardise the uniqueness of handmade carpets and boost the export of J&K’s carpets in international markets.
The carpets from J&K are being exported to at least 25 countries. In 2020-21, carpets worth Rs 115 crore were exported to Germany while the figures were Rs 34 crore for US, `36 crore for UAE and Rs 22 crore for the Netherlands. The J&K administration is also working on starting a mega carpet village.
Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) chief Sheikh Ashiq welcomed the launching of QR-code based mechanism. He said the GI tagging of Kashmir’s hand-made carpets would increase exports of Kashmiri handicraft, which have been on the decline for the last 3- 4 years.
“This GI tagging restores customer’s confidence, bedsides protecting authenticity of artisans,” he said and urged the authorities to provide maximum grants for the QR-code-based mechanism so that artisans can compete in the international market.