Creating awareness
In order to make the small industrial units to survive, the central government along with the J & K administration are trying to help such units.
In this direction J&K government is creating awareness and providing handholding amongst the bat makers with regard to GI tagging through field officers. The Directorate of Industries and Commerce has taken up the issue of granting Logo and GI tagging with the Director, Craft Development Institute (CDI), Srinagar.
There are more than 400 cricket bat manufacturing units generating employment to about 8000 people directly.
Faculty of Forestry SKUAST Kashmir has been engaged for the identification and propagation of the best quality willow (Salix Alba varcaerulea) being used for the manufacture of cricket bats.
In SKUAST Kashmir, superior quality willow saplings were distributed for the manufacture of cricket bats among the beneficiaries associated with Sethar cricket bat cluster.
With the use of superior willow the quality of cricket bats being manufactured in Kashmir would be comparable to those manufactured in the rest of the World thereby increasing their demand exponentially.
