Centuries-old Kashmiri carpet industry threatened by Trump's tariffs

The Star

16-05-2025

Mohammad Yousuf Dar and his wife, Shameema, sit cross-legged before their loom, deftly tying consecutive knots to create the floral patterns of the famed Kashmiri carpets.
Genuine hand-knotted Kashmiri carpets are typically made from pure silk, and sometimes pure wool, which is more challenging.
Generations of artisans have for centuries handed down the craft to ensure its survival, and while the carpets are sold for quite a sum, most craftspeople can barely make ends meet.
"I just help my husband so that we have a modicum of decent income to run our household,' Shameema, 43, said as she and Mohamad Yousuf rhythmically plucked at the colorful silk threads in their dimly lit workshop in Indian-controlled Kashmir's main city, Srinagar.
Mohammad Iqbal Bakshi (left) and Mohammad Rafiq Shah inspect a Kashmiri hand-knotted silk carpet.
They periodically glance at a yellowed scrap of paper, known as Taleem, or instructions, showcasing the pattern they are working on in an ancient shorthand of symbols and numbers and a cryptic color map.
Both learned the craft at the ages of nine and 10, respectively.
The industry has survived decades of conflict over the disputed region between nuclear rivals India and Pakistan and withstood the fickleness of fashion to stay in demand, adorning mansions and museums alike.
Kashmiri workers wash hand-knotted carpets at a workshop.
However, Kashmiri traders say that United States President Donald Trump's tariffs on American imports can deal a hard blow to an already threatened business that is vying to survive amid mass-produced carpets, which are less costly, and artisans abandoning the industry.
Although the tariffs were primarily aimed at major exporters like China, they've inadvertently ensnared traditional handicraft industries from regions like Kashmir, which depend on US and European markets for survival.
Ishfaq Ahmad Mir (left) and Altaf Ahmed shear Kashmiri hand-knotted carpets to remove protruding fibres at a workshop in Srinagar. — Photos: DAR YASIN/AP
Carpet exports from India to the US alone are valued at approximately US$1.2bil (RM5.29bil), out of a total global export value of US$2bil (RM8.81bil), according to official data.
Reduced orders
Mohamad Yousuf, 50, said he is the only weaver left out of over 100 who shifted to other jobs some two decades back in his neighborhood in Srinagar city's old downtown.
"I spend months knotting a single rug,' he said, "but if there is no demand, our skills feel worthless,' he added.
Shameema and her husband Mohammad Yousuf weave a Kashmiri hand-knotted carpet at their home in Srinagar.
Still, thousands of families in Kashmir rely on this craft for their livelihood and the steep 28% tariff imposed means the imported carpets will become significantly more expensive for American consumers and retailers.
"If these carpets are going to be more expensive in America, does that mean our wages will rise too?" Mohamad Yousuf asked.
Not likely.
Knife-sharpening stones are used as paper weights for strips of paper with carpet weaving instructions.
The increased cost to consumers in the US doesn't translate into higher wages for weavers, experts say, but rather often leads to reduced orders, lower incomes, and growing uncertainty for the artisans.
This price hike could also push buyers toward cheaper, machine-made alternatives, leaving Kashmiri artisans in the lurch.
Insiders say that unless international trade policies shift to protect traditional industries, Kashmir's hand-knotted legacy may continue to fray until it disappears.
Mohammad Yousuf weaves a Kashmiri hand-knotted carpet at his home.
Wilayat Ali, a Kashmiri carpet supplier, said his trading partner, who exports the carpets to the US, Germany and France, has already cancelled at least a dozen orders already in the making.
"The exporter also returned some dozen carpets," he said. "It boils down to the hard arithmetic of profit and loss,' Wilayat explained. "They don't see thousands of knots in a carpet that takes months to make.' – AP