Karakul business owners urge govt support

KABUL (Pajhwok): A number of Karakul cap sellers in Kabul complain about the decrease in production and sale of the eye-catching headwear, urging the government to support the business.

Karakul hat industry is one of the oldest handicrafts in the country.

Pajhwok Afghan News reporter interviewed a number of Karakul vendors and all of them talked about declining Karakul sales and production.

Malik Ahmad Ahmadi, an owner of the industry near the Shah Dushamshera mosque, said that in the past many people evinced interest in this industry, but recently their work had diminished.

He said the number of customers of Karakul hat had decreased and he lost 95 percent of his customers.

Ahmadi said they used to sell Karakul skin for $300, but now the price had reduced to $50.

Sayed Hamid Sadat, one of the Karakul hat sellers in Kabul city, told Pajhwok that he had lost 95 percent of customers.

He said he used to produce 300 to 500 such hats but currently the number had declined to 10-15.

He said previously about 12 employees had been working in his shop, but now the number had dropped to three.

Previously they sold hats worth 100,000 to 150,000 afghanis a month, but after the recent developments in the country, they could not even sell caps worth 20,000 afghanis a month.

Both urged the caretaker government to support the business.

sa/ma