Why Kashmir's Next Boom Starts With A Toolbox

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer)
KO File Photo by Romaan Arora.

Walk through any market in Kashmir today and you'll notice the silence first. Not the peaceful kind, but the uneasy one.

Shopkeepers sit idle. Taxi drivers nap in parked cars. Fruit vendors wait for buyers who don't come. Sales are down, and it's not just a bad day or a slow week. It's becoming a new normal.

Kashmir's economy, once rooted in self-reliance and steady local production, is fraying. And while political changes and flareups often make headlines, this quieter economic unraveling is just as worrying.

Across the Valley, livelihoods are shrinking, and families are feeling the squeeze.

Older generations remember a different Kashmir. Their parents and grandparents were skilled artisans, farmers, carpenters, and weavers. The region didn't just consume, it produced.

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In villages and towns, people knew how to build homes, grow food, fix tools, and craft items by hand. They took pride in that. Today, those skills are fading.

Young people are turning away from these vocations. Many see them as outdated or unprofitable. Traditional jobs don't carry the shine of a government post or a tech gig. But the shift has left a gap.

As fewer people grow their own vegetables, make furniture, or repair machines, Kashmir has become dependent on outside markets, even for things it once made with ease.

This isn't just about tradition. It's about survival. With fewer local industries, cash doesn't circulate the way it used to. People earn less, spend less, and save less. That slowdown shows up everywhere, from fewer taxis on the road to shrinking demand in grocery stores.

Tourism, a major source of income, has also taken a hit. After recent disruptions, fewer tourists are coming, and when they do, they spend cautiously. That leaves guides, hotel owners, pony handlers, and street vendors scrambling to make a living.

Farming, too, is struggling. Young Kashmiris are moving away from agriculture. Many fields lie untended or underused, and the know-how that kept them productive is fading.

Without fresh talent and new techniques, farming remains labour-intensive and low-income, pushing even more people away.

But all is not lost.

Kashmir has a chance to turn this around, and that chance lies with its people, especially the young.

Skill development needs to become a central focus. Not just in modern coding or finance, but in age-old crafts and practical trades.

Carpentry, weaving, pottery, and even farming, when blended with technology and design thinking, can create jobs that are both meaningful and profitable.

There are sparks of this already. In small workshops and classrooms, some organizations are training young people in block-printing and papier-mâché. Others are experimenting with solar dryers for saffron and organic fertilizers. These are small efforts, but they carry big potential.

For this to grow, support is key. Government programs must move beyond slogans and offer real training, grants, and market access.

Schools and colleges need to promote vocational education alongside academics. And families should be encouraged to see value in work that's hands-on, creative, and rooted in local knowledge.

Tourism can also be revived with fresh thinking. Eco-tourism, craft trails, and heritage stays can bring visitors in while supporting local jobs and preserving the environment.

Farmers, too, can benefit from new irrigation systems, crop diversification, and better cold storage.

Most of all, the community must talk openly about this shift. We need to stop thinking of traditional skills as“lesser” and start seeing them as the foundation of a stronger economy.

That mindset change, simple as it sounds, can do more than any single policy.

Kashmir's economy won't fix itself overnight. But it can heal. Slowly, steadily, with care. The land is still fertile. The hands are still capable. What's needed is a belief that change is possible, and that it can start right here, with us.

Irshad Mushtaq is a Srinagar-based reputed financial advisor.

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