Surrounded by apple orchards, emanating mouth watering aroma, a habitation in Vakhoo from Kakapora area of Pulwama has come to lime light for good reasons. Catching on the special wood from poplars grown in the wetlands of the district, the village is a hub of manufacturing pencil slates. Supplying 70% of processed wood to the pencil industry in India, Vakhoo has carved a niche in preparing the basic raw material for the writing stuff, earning an epithet ‘Pencil village of India’
Pencil slate manufacturing units in Vakhoo from Kakpora Pulwama give any onlooker the feel of an industrial area. As the village witnesses a great industrial activity for thousands of workers, men and women engage in the processing of Pencil wood from their houses , since most of the units engaged with the trade operate from the local houses.
The process starts with the growing and felling of special poplars that fetch the basic ingredient ‘wood’ for the slates. Laden with right amount of moisture, that makes it fit for the making of pencil wood,
the kind of a special poplar trees grows in abundance in the wetlands around. After shearing the trees into cut size logs, the finest of wood is selected to make the Planks. These planks are then trimmed into five millimeter thick slates of standard pencil size.
The process does not stop here. After it has been seasoned into a particular size, the slates undergo a cycle of quality checks, ensuring the removal of knots if any and smoothing of rough edges. It is only after drying these slates stacked in a tall and wider ring patterns, the half processed pencils are ready to be packed. Packed 800 pieces in a bunch, these slates are dispatched in large nylon bags to the respective destinations outside Kashmir says Mubashir Ahmad, a unit owner from the village, while explaining how these units process the wood for the pencil industry in India.
Village supplies more than 70% of processed wood to pencil industry in India. Our main buyer is Hindustan pencils , the maker of Natraj says, Manzoor Ahmad Allaie, pencil slate manufacturer and President of Pencil Manufacturing unit holders union, Kashmir. Off late, we have started to get orders from many Multi National Companies within and outside India, informs an enthusiastic entrepreneur Manzoor.
Apart from adding to the exchequer of Kashmir, the trade is a generous job creator. Large number of workers local as well as non locals, both men and women are employed in these units. Barkat Saw Mills owned by Feroz Ahmad has hundreds of people on its payrolls. “My unit provides job to about 200 people throughout the year”, says another unit holder , Firdous Ahmad. “I am happy that our endeavor is helping educated and unemployed youth to earn a respectable livelihood”,Firdous adds.
Women workers have their due share in the manufacturing activity. Along with the male counterparts, a sizeable number of educated young girls are dispensing their services stacking, drying , packing the pencil slates. Keeping the records and operating the computers, some girls engage in the official activities in these units. “Despite being a college dropout, I earn a handsome monthly salary ”, says a content Shaheena, employed in one of the pencil slate manufacturing unit in Vakhoo.
Started decades ago, the pencil village in Pulwama can become the economic hub in the valley, provided proper and sustained attention at administration level is paid to the trade, says Nissar Ahmad Sheikh, Vice President, Federation Chamber of Industries Kashmir. “Twenty four hour electricity supply, provision of Government or personal land to the pencil slate manufacturing unit holders, Hassle free documentation and tax exemption are can be major encouragement to this budding industry”, says Nissar.
“Since this school allied industry, creates almost five thousand jobs directly and more than ten thousand indirectly, government should actively think to downsize the present GST from 12% slab to 5% slab applicable to essential goods”, Nissar demands.
According to some entrepreneurs from the village, lack of land to expand the operations is another hiccup in this potential job creating business. “There is large portion of government owned land vacant, adjacent to my unit. If provided on lease or purchase basis, I would have to double the employee size of my unit, since large number of orders from many MNC’s are pending for the want of expansion of unit operations”, claims Manzoor Allaie.
The recent statement from the top officer of the district Raghu Ranjan, Deputy Commissioner, Pulwama has encouraged us, says hopeful Manzoor. Deputy Commissioner , while speaking to the media recently had announced that the village will be soon officially declared as the ‘Pencil village of India’.
