Pashmina is a fine type of Kashmiri wool (also known as ‘cashmere’ in the West). The word Pashmina in Kashmiri means ‘Soft Gold’.

• It is used to make shawl, scarf and wrap or stole. This unique variety of wool is obtained from four distinct breeds of Cashmere goats namely Malra from Kargil area in Kashmir region, Changthangi (or Kashmir Pashmina goat) from Changthang Plateau in Kashmir region, Chegu from Himachal Pradesh and Chyangara (or Nepalese Pashmina goat) from Nepal.
• Kashmir Pashmina has been accorded Geographical indication (GI) tag under Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.

Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has announced setting up Pashmina testing centre in Leh region of Jammu and Kashmir to check the quality of pashmina collected. It will be set up in partnership with lab of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh.