J&K Handicraft Exports Cross Rs 817 Crore, and Officials Want Proof Behind Every GI Tag

A review meeting in Srinagar shows the state's craft economy is growing, and technology is becoming the new test of what counts as authentic.

Handicrafts made in Jammu and Kashmir earned the region Rs 817.39 crore in exports last year, and another Rs 73.85 crore has already come in this quarter. At a review meeting in Srinagar, the government said the next priority is making sure every GI tag on these products can actually be checked, rather than being printed on a label alone.

Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo led the meeting and asked officials to speed up projects already underway across both Jammu and Kashmir divisions. He said the benefits of ongoing investment should reach artisans without delay, and that quality testing, craft villages and GI tagging all need to move faster together, rather than as separate, disconnected efforts.

The Numbers Behind the Growth

The sector's formal base, in plain terms, how many people are actually registered and counted, keeps expanding. 

J&K now has 4,61,381 registered artisans and weavers, with 13,264 people added this year alone, 7,919 in Kashmir and 5,345 in Jammu. There are 63 crafts under GI protection, 39 from Kashmir and 24 from Jammu, and the government has issued 97,178 GI labels so far, including 14,714 this financial year.

Turning GI Tags Into Something You Can Verify

One project already shows what real proof looks like. The Indian Institute of Carpet Technology in Srinagar has GI tagged and QR coded 22,500 carpets. Scan the code, and a buyer can see exactly where that carpet came from, instead of trusting a paper certificate alone.

Dulloo wants this kind of system used more widely, along with a clear, ongoing record of exactly how many GI tagged products are being made and sold at any given time, rather than a count that only gets updated occasionally.

Fair Pay Enters the Picture

Dulloo also wants technology that tracks how long artisans actually spend on each piece, using IoT sensors, so pay reflects real time and skill rather than a flat rate. He said this kind of data could help protect artisans' earning potential and make traditional crafts a viable career for younger people, rather than something only older generations continue out of habit.

On the money side, artisans can now access up to Rs 2 lakh in credit with a 7% interest subsidy for five years. This year alone, 2,750 people have used the scheme, and Rs 868.60 lakh has already reached artisans through it. Officials have assessed 1,63,875 artisans in Kashmir and 34,520 in Jammu for credit coverage, and around 56% are already covered, with the rest being targeted next. 

The department is also linking this process to J&K Bank and Aadhaar records, so subsidies reach people faster and with less paperwork.

What Else Is in the Pipeline

More crafts are in line for GI status too, including copperware and Wagguv reed mats from Kashmir, and the Jammu Dogri Suit and palm leaf craft from Jammu. Three Common Facility Centres for bamboo products and agarbatti making have already been completed in Sallan, Sumb and Billawar. In Budgam, land has formally been handed over for the Sonpah Craft Village, and the first tranche of funding has been released. 

Nearly 1,900 artisans have also been onboarded to the Open Network for Digital Commerce, giving them a way to sell directly without depending on middlemen.

Meanwhile, the region's Pashmina testing centre has been upgraded with new equipment, including a scanning electron microscope. That has nearly tripled its testing capacity and cut certification wait times by close to 40 per cent, down to 30 to 45 days.

Key Takeaways

1. A GI tag now needs proof, not a printed label. QR codes are becoming that proof.
2. Registered artisans get credit access first. Registration itself is now a financial head start.
3. Faster Pashmina testing shows the real problem was capacity, not fake goods.
4. More crafts are joining the GI list, and that list will only keep growing.