Srinagar, Oct 31 (HS): Kashmir’s cricket bat industry, considered one of the key parts of the Valley’s economy, is under threat of decline as its raw material gradually runs out.

Cricket bats in Kashmir are made from willow, which is known around the world for its quality and strength, but the trees are becoming scarcer in the Valley with each passing year. People associated with the industry fear that, within the next four to five years, it could be wiped out after more than a century in existence.

Fawzul Kabiir, vice-president and spokesperson of the Cricket Bat Manufacturers Association of Kashmir, says the lack of raw material hangs over the industry like a sword and could bring about its end in the next four to five years.

“After a lot of hard work, we introduced the cricket bats made in Kashmir’s factories at the international level, so that they could get the recognition they deserve,” he told Hindusthan Samachar. “As a result of our efforts, Kashmir bats have been used in international-level matches for the past several years.”

“The cricket bat industry in Kashmir is on the verge of decline because the raw material is running out at an alarming rate,” he said. “It seems these resources could be completely exhausted in the next three to four years. There is no trace of willow trees in south Kashmir, and there are some willow stands in Ganderbal that will be gone in the next two to three years. When the raw material itself is finished, it is obvious what the future of this industry will be.”

Kabiir said that on one hand there is no trend of planting willow in the Valley, and on the other, the wood is being smuggled out, which is even more worrying. “Planting willow is the easiest thing. No sapling has to be brought from outside; you just cut a branch from a tree and plant it,” he said. “Meanwhile, smugglers are taking the willow wood out of here, and no effective steps are being taken to stop it.”

He also said: “We raised this serious challenge facing the industry with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. He visited our industry and also ordered the Forest Department to plant willow, but there has been no significant action on the ground.”

Ghulam Mohammad Wani, a farmer from central Kashmir’s Budgam district, told Hindusthan Samachar that people in the Valley are planting apple and poplar trees instead of willow because they earn farmers more. According to him, willow fetches a very low price and takes a long time to mature, which means a long wait for income, while poplars mature relatively quickly and sell at a good rate.

He added that grazing land (kahcharai) is also shrinking, so farmers are unable to plant willow. “Unfortunately, instead of buying land to put up construction, the government is using grazing land, and as a result, the land where willow used to be planted is disappearing,” he said.

According to manufacturers and recent reports, there are about 400 cricket bat-making units in the Valley, mostly in the Sangam and Awantipora areas. The industry is estimated to support the livelihoods of more than one lakh people, including workers from Uttar Pradesh and Punjab, and its annual turnover is put at around Rs 300 crore, though some manufacturers say it is as high as Rs 700 crore.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Zahoor Hussain Bhat