Surgical thread manufacturing can emerge as multicrore industry in Kashmir

http://www.risingkashmir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10806&Itemid=41

With more than sixty lakh sheep consumed annually in the Valley, surgical threads made out of the sheep intestine promises to be a multi crore industry. The present surgical thread market is dominated by multi national companies with Johnson and Johnson (J&J) enjoying a virtual monopoly.
“Annual six million sheep consumption and over a crore animal consumption is a wonderful base for the multi crore surgical thread industry in the Valley. Sheep Intestine is available here in abundance. Industrialists and government here should seriously think over it,” said Dr Ravindra Karanjekar Chairman of National Board of Quality Promotion, Associate Vice President, Head - Wockhardt Hospitals, Mumbai, and member International Society for Quality Assurance in Health Care (ISQA) while talking to the Rising Kashmir.Dr. Karanjekar said Johnson and Johnson is a virtual monopoly in the field of manufacturing surgical threads in India but if the industry starts in Kashmir it can prove a good competition for J&J.Many a time there is shortage of such threads in the market because of the limited number of manufacturers which suggests that the area is still unexplored and can be utilised in a better way according to Dr. Karanjekar.

However Manzoor Ahmed Kanoon, President All Kashmir Wholesale Mutton Dealers Association said that the people here do collect the intestine locally called ‘Chap’ meaning casing but it is used for the musical instrument ‘Sitar’, ‘Tennis Racket’ or a local ‘Shup’ meaning winnower. “People here get Rs 2 to 3 per intestine and they sell it to somebody who exports it to New Delhi and from there it goes to various places,” said Kanoon.Also there are no slaughter houses in Kashmir said Kanoon where they could systematically collect all intestines and other by products for proper utilization.

Another young entrepreneur Syed Shuja’at Madani who was earlier exporting the casings to Germany, Turkey, Russia and other countries said, “Casings are used as an eatable as well in foreign countries. Meat is stuffed in it and eaten. We used to get good money from its export although the market in India was not that good. But due to defaults I discontinued the business.”Detailing about the casings Madani said that the upper end of the casings in very thin which is perfect for manufacturing the surgical threads but the cost of setting up the unit is very high besides we need skilled people for the industry here.“One casing of a sheep can be about 25 to 30mts and it is sold according to the length as well,” said Madani.

Surprisingly the apex business bodies have not thought about this industry and are citing reasons for not preparing a report about the prospective industry.President Federation of Commerce and Industries Kashmir (FCIK) Shakeel Qalander while talking to Rising Kashmir said, “We are still unable to organize the leather industry properly. It is in a making process. But if the utilization of the sheep gut has such huge prospects we will form a report about it and I will ask my prospective industry section to be in touch with the experts in Mumbai and other areas of India.”

While talking to Rising Kashmir, President Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI), Dr. Mubeen Shah said that there is no centralized slaughter house in the Valley from where a proper utilization of the by products can be done.However, Mubeen accepted that the chamber has never thought about this industry. “If there is an infrastructure we can use the sheep gut and other by products like blood and bones as well. We too will be seriously thinking on the proposal,” said Mubeen.