KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal today launched Nepali pashmina’s collective brand logo. Nepali pashmina has registered with the European Union (EU), Japan and Australia under the brand name ‘Chyangra Pashmina’ in the last three years.

Revealing the Chyangra Pashmina logo, PM Nepal assured that the government will do its best to boost the pashmina industry. “It is a competitive advantage sector of Nepal and the government will do all it can to boost its export,” he said. The government has included pashmina as potential export goods in its new industrial policy released last month.

Nepal has a long history of pashmina. Kings used to gift pashmina items to their counterparts eslewhere in South Asia. Its modern history goes back to 1995 when its export started to European and American markets. AD 2000-2001 was a golden year for pashmina when its export reached worth over Rs 7 billion.

Counterfeit products from India, China and also Nepal destroyed its market between 2000 and 2006 and pashmina export declined to Rs 1.67 billion in the fiscal year 2008-09. Changing fashion trend is also believed the cause behind the fall of pashmina export.

Nepal Pashmina Industry Association (NPIA) is doing global marketing and branding Chyangra Pashmina to establish it again in world markets. “NPIA believes Nepali pashmina will become a craze of fashion conscious Westerners in five or six years,” said NPIA president Shankar Prasad Pandey. NPIA is registering pashmina brand in 20 more countries including North America, South Korea,

Hong Kong and Japan. The

government has provided grant assistant Rs 2.5 million for the purpose.

Pashmina entrepreneurs are also seeking commitment from producers to get world market again. “If we produce quality goods, we can capture the world market,” Pandey said. “But commitment from producers is a must.”

PM Nepal honoured Rebecca Ordish, an international laywer in property rights, for her tireless efforts to register Chyangra Pashmina in international markets.

The new logo can be used by members of NPIA after getting quality control certificate from Nepal Standards and Measurement Bureau.