Kashmir`s `pencil village` bears the cost of school closure due to COVID pandemic

Uhkoo village in Kashmir`s Pulwama is facing huge losses due to a shift in education towards online learning

Srinagar: Uhkoo village in Kashmir's Pulwama district, popularly known as India's 'Pencil Village' is facing huge losses due to a shift in education towards online learning owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The village supplies 90% of the wood used for pencils in the country, is facing a loss of demand by 70% with almost 50% of employees losing their jobs.

Before the covid epidemic, in the Pulwama district, 17 pencil factories were employing more than 4000 people and the industry was supporting around 300 families. But the drastic drop in raw metrical demand which is about 70% drop.  and factory owners were too forced to reduce their workforce by more than half, which had devastating effects on business and employment.

Manzoor Ahmed Alahi, the factory owner said, “Covid created big problems and effected our business badly, suppose we had one crore turnover before covid, today we have 30 lakhs turnover we lost 70% of orders. Actually, covid was not in one state but was in the whole world. Schools were closed all over the world, because of that, our business changed a lot. Before covid, we had 150 workers, now today we have only 30 per cent, now there is hope that schools will open But we suffered a lot because of covid. 

This has not happened only with Manzoor Ahmed, but of all 17 pencil slate factories operating in Pulwama only have 30% work.

Manzoor Ahmed Alahi added, “The condition of everyone is the same because this covid affected everyone since I have started this work, it’s the first time am facing this kind of difficulty.”

Pick up a pencil anywhere across India and it is likely to be made of trees of Ukhoo village. This village, about 25 km from the city of Srinagar in the Pulwama district of Kashmir, is known as the pencil village of India.  Supplies more than 90% of the wood used by the Indian pencil making factories I supplied from here and pencils are exported to over 83 countries of the world. 

Manzoor Ahmed Alahi, says, “90 per cent of the raw material goes from Kashmir, which is considered to be top-class and is used by the top brand of pencil makers like Apsara, Natraj, it goes from here and then our companies make pencils and go to all over India and 83 countries of the world.  Earlier it used to come from China but now all go from here” 

About 40% of the non-local technical staff used to work in these factories and most of them have returned to their homes and even local workers are also now less than half.  There are many young people who are employees in those factories who are afraid that their employment may be snatched, they pray that this epidemic ends and schools reopen again. 

Mehraj-Ud-Din Dar supervisor said, “It is clearly visible that our production which was earlier being above three bags, now we are making only one bag and when it comes to labour, now instead of 200-250 labourers only 50-60 are working here. it shows that there has been a lot of impact on employment.  And if unemployment is to be eradicated. He added  “I have done PG, I tried a lot for a government job but nothing happened, then I got a chance in this company.  I can say that even educated youth can earn livelihood in those companies.

“Our company is still facing the impact of covid, our work depends on schools, the schools are still closed, our production will not increase until the schools are fully opened.” He added. 

This "pencil village" had also caught the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  Last year in his monthly radio program Mann Ki Baat, he had said that the district was an example of how to reduce the country's dependence on imports.

Modi said, "Once upon a time we used to import wood for pencils from abroad but now our Pulwama is making the country self-reliant in the field of pencil making."

After those words of the prime minister, there was a lot of enthusiasm among these businessmen and they started feeling proud and wanted to accelerate their work so that the name of their village and Pulwama would be illuminated.

Manzoor said “I feel very proud since the time Prime Minister Modi talked about us first the name of the district has changed, secondly, our village got the new tag of pencil village since then I want to do more hard work so that our village feel more proud” 

A recent report by the Ministry of Home Affairs had said that the village would be developed as a "special village" for production.  "Now the entire country will be supplied with ready-made pencils, which will be completely manufactured in Pulwama," the report said.  But due to the pandemic, a product that could have made the country self-sufficient in pencil is facing a storm of problems. Now this village and its people are eagerly waiting for the schools and market to resume.