NPIA Has Expressed Disappointment Over Delay in ITC Project Implementation

The Nepali Pashmina Industries Association (NPIA) has expressed disappointment over delay in the much-awaited project of International Trade Centre (ITC).
 
According to the association, the project was scheduled to begin in January this year, but it has already been more than eight months and no developments have taken place, reports The Himalayan Times.
 
The association was expecting to work with ITC from January with an estimated budget of around US$2 million for branding, marketing, and designing the ‘chyangra’ pashmina.
 
The NPIA has also expressed its dissatisfaction on the exclusion of the ‘Chyangra Pashmina’ logo in the trading story prepared under the Pashmina Enhancement and Trade Support project under the World Trade Organisation/ Enhancement Integrated Framework (EIF) Trading Stories project.
 
Although the chyangra pashmina trading story has already been launched in other member countries of the World Trade Organisation, NPIA is still waiting for its formal launch in Nepal. The project aims to help increase the export performance of pashmina products by at least 20 per cent.
 
The chyangra pashmina from Nepal is exported to more than 60 countries, out of which the trademark ‘Chyangra Pashmina’ is registered in 41.
 
Owing to lack of proper promotion and branding of ‘Chyangra Pashmina’, pashmina exports to countries decreased by around 48.8 percent year-on-year during the last fiscal, though the export figure to India increased by 32.9 percent year-on-year.
 
Pashmina exporters in the country believe that once the budget for the ITC program is approved and the project is implemented, it will definitely help boost the overall export of pashmina products and also help create awareness about the ‘Chyangra Pashmina’ brand.
 
There are over 300 pashmina exporters registered with the NPIA.