In Frames | Running out of willow

Cricket bat manufacturers in Kashmir fear that the industry will not be able to survive due to a shortage of the wood.

The cricket bat industry in Kashmir is on the verge of collapse, as it is facing a shortage of willow— a lightweight hardwood that is a vital raw material for manufacturing units.

More than 400 bat manufacturing units in the Anantnag district of south Kashmir are staring at an uncertain future as they worry that a shortage of willow clefts (pieces of willow wood) may force their factories to shut shop.

Javeed Ahmed Parray, the owner of MJ Sports, says, “We have been in this business for the past 22 years. In the future, there will not be enough willow trees to fulfill the demand.” The government has not supported the industry, he adds.

Mr. Parray believes that the willow tree numbers are dwindling fast, leaving the manufacturers struggling in an already competitive industry.

The centuries-old cricket bat industry in Kashmir had upped its standards over the years to compete with manufacturers that work with the fabled English willow. But bat manufacturers fear the willow shortage here could be a big blow to the ₹300-crore enterprise that provides livelihood to over 1,00,000 people. More and more cricket leagues are coming up around the world and the demand for bats has been on the increase.

Shahid Bashir, a manufacturer from Bijbehara in Anantnag, said, “We have appealed to the government to help us in growing more willow trees.” He says the land could be set aside for only willow cultivation. Farmers today prefer to raise trees such as poplar that grow faster than willow for supply to the plywood and building industries.

The current lot of manufacturers and workers in bat factories may well be among the last the way things are going.