Availability of Raw Material for Wood Based Cricket Bat Industry in Kashmir Valley, India

Kashmir Himalayas is known for its abundant supply of high quality wood suitable for cricket bat industry. The present study aimed to gather comprehensive data on the availability of raw material for the cricket bat industry in Anantnag and Pulwama districts of Kashmir during the specified time period (2017-2018). The main objective of this study was to evaluate the major problems faced by the industry and to assess quality parameters of cleft and the wood used for making these clefts. Shortage of quality raw material, absence of proper marketing channels and irregular electricity supply were the major factors responsible for production shortfall. The units used wood of Salix alba var. caerulea as main raw material while Populus deltoides wood was also used for low quality bats. For the study, latest available official records of Government of Jammu and Kashmir as well as questionnaire based sample survey data were used. The industry produced 15.10 crore clefts that consumed 17,28,532 ft 3 of wood. Sample survey revealed that in 2016, the selected 62 units procured 5,84,557 ft3 of wood with an average of 9,428.33 ft3 per unit.