Japan Nod to NPIA for Pashmina Brand

In its quest to get Nepali pashmina registered internationally, Nepali Pashmina Industries’ Association (NPIA) has notched up yet another success: It has got the approval from Japan in this regard. Norway and Australia have already registered the brand.

An elated NPIA president Shanker Prasad Pandey said, “Australia was the first country that gave us confirmation regarding our application for brand registration there. A month later, we succeeded in getting Norway to become the first country to get our pashmina brand registered there and now, Japan is the third country to give the nod.” The total value of pashmina exported to Japan in the fiscal year 2007-08 was Rs 6,976,072.8. In 2006-07, it was Rs 27,343,015.27 and in 2005-06 it was Rs 25,069,120.17. “Pashmina export to Japan was satisfactory earlier but due to fake pashmina and lack of a brand in the international market, export started falling. Now, export will revive,” Pandey said adding that they have targeted to register the Chyangra Pash mina brand with the EU and 11 other countries amongst nine are left

Brand registration being an expensive procedure, NPIA till date is moving on with its internal resources for the process. Pandey said NPIA is paying through the nose for processes like legal fees, registration charges, advocate charges and brand registration charges to fulfill minimum criteria.

NPIA recently got budget allocation of Rs 1.24 million from the government as assistance for the brand registration process abroad.

According to the scheme, of the Rs 12.4 million the government will initially provide Rs 25 lakh in two instalments as the reimbursement for expenses incurred during the trademark registration process by the NPIA. NPIA has set a brand logo of Nepali Pashmina with the name, ‘Chyangra Pashmina’ for its brand registration in both the international and national market.

The association has started its brand registration in the EU along with Australia, Norway, Switzerland, Korea, Japan, America, United States, Canada, and Russia.

NPIA has succeeded in its registration in Norway with confirmation from Australia and Japan. According to 11months’ export data of the Federation of Handicraft Association of Nepal (FHAN), the total contribution of pashmina to the nationa’s total export was 23 per cent with total export value of Rs 632711289.3268, The total pashmina exported during the same period last year was worth Rs 525057907.2271.