Welcome to the world of beauty and tranquility, where nature reveals its unique and mysterious vistas, where craftsmanship and tradition combine in the art of creating cashmere products. In the mountainous regions of Tajikistan and Afghanistan, a transformative initiative took place between 2013 and 2017. With generous funding from the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), the Mountain Societies Development Support Programme (MSDSP) embarked on a mission to develop the cashgora fiber value chain, fundamentally altering the lives of many in these rural communities.
Empowering Women Through Sustainable Cashgora and Cashmere Fiber Production and Processing
This IFAD-funded project established nine spinning groups in the two countries, creating earning opportunities for around 80 rural women, who earn from part-time spinning activities. The luxurious handmade yarn they produce has shown strong demand in the US, Europe and other export markets.
Cashmere fibers from the Tajikistan and Afghanistan mountains considered one of the finest, lightest and softest in the world. The fibers are collected from goats and yaks that live in remote high altitudes and most isolated areas. Yarns produced from these unique fibers are multiple times warmer and lighter than clothing produced from usual wool.
Cashgora and cashmere fibers require dehairing before they can be spun into yarn. Initially, Tajikistan lacked a local dehairing facility, forcing fiber processors to rely on a facility in Herat, Afghanistan. The unstable political situation in Afghanistan, along with distance and high transportation costs, posed significant risks to the processing groups and overall value chain development, especially from 2018 onwards. These challenges were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent regime change in Afghanistan, which threatened the continuity of the business due to border closures. To address this issue, MSDSP, with generous support by the PATRIP Foundation, launched a project in 2019 to establish a 20-tonne capacity dehairing facility in the Roshtqala district of GBAO, Tajikistan. This facility not only aims to enhance the sustainability of the spinning groups but also connects thousands of fiber producers to the market, thereby strengthening the entire value chain.
By investing in a local dehairing facility, we are reducing dependency on external processing plants and creating a more resilient fiber industry in Tajikistan. This initiative empowers local populations, especially women, by providing them with sustainable income opportunities and fostering connections across cultures. The spinners are now trying to collaborate with relevant projects for marketing their handmade produced yarn, guaranteeing a socially responsible and environmentally sustainable product, produced by fairly paid artisans who take pride in their work.
Your support not only helps these women overcome poverty and traditional constraints, but also enables them to create a unique, luxurious yarn for your knitting projects. Thank you for making a difference in their lives and ours.
