Prices of Kandahar embroidered necklines slump

KANDAHAR (Pajhwok): Female artisans in southern Kandahar province say market of the traditional Afghan man-jammies with beautiful embroidered necklines has slowed down and they are concerned about the situation.

Kandahar province is famous for the finest type of clothing embroidery across Afghanistan. Called “Khamak” in Pashto, it consists of stitching intricate designs into shawls, the front of men’s long, loose shirts called [shalwar kameez], as well as tablecloths and women’s clothes.

The handicraft is not just famous across Afghanistan but among Afghans in other parts of the world such as Europe and the US. However, women who make the clothes do not profit as much as the shopkeepers who sell them do.

Marhama, a resident of Kandahar City’s 5th District, is one of the women who collects embroidered necklines made by other women and sells them in the bazaar.

The woman told Pajhwok Afghan News that in the past, she used to collect embroidered necklines and sell them to shopkeepers and people in the bazaar, but now women do not accept low rates and shopkeepers do not buy them against a higher price.

She said in the past she sold a embroidered neckline for 10,000 afghanis in the bazaar, but now she could not sell it for 7,000 or 6,000 afghanis. She earned 200afs to 500afs in a neckline but half of her income went in the fare.

Another woman, Amna, who makes clothing embroidery, said making one neckline can take three to six or 7 months.

She has reduced her work due to lowered prices of the handicraft.

“It requires a lot of work for up to six months, but the income is low,” she said.

Sellers of the handicraft also say the bazaar for necklines had cooled down and the number of buyers had decreased as compared to the past.

They add people would buy necklines for weddings in spring and some would export them abroad, but this has decreased by 40 percent.

Mohammad Omar, a handicraft seller, told Pajhwok Afghan News: “Sales of embroidered necklines have dropped by 40 percent. Although Kandahar necklines have not lost their value, people are not buying them as they used to because there is no money or business.”

Nazar Jan, another handicraft seller, says that in the past, hundreds of embroidered necklines were bought and exported every year.

“After the economic situation deteriorated and problems on the roads increased, it became difficult to send them abroad,” he said.

Earlier, a number of organizations in Kandahar had set up handicraft production centers for women, which have recently closed.

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