Kashmir's sleepy Sangam village may not look as though it has any claim to international fame, but it is where some of the world's best cricket bats are made.
Lines of shops display neat stacks of willow wood. Behind sit small manufacturing units, where that wood is hand-made into the equipment that finds its way to playing fields across India and other cricket-playing nations.
Those bats are becoming increasingly hard to come by, however, as Kashmir's dwindling willow plantations continue to affect the region's famed industry, risking the supply in India, where the sport is huge.
Thousands of willow trees were planted in the Himalayan region by the British in the early 19th century to maintain the supply of firewood during Kashmir's harsh winters. Decades later, locals kept planting them to make cricket bats.
Today, more than 10,000 people work in the industry, which produces nearly one million bats a year.
Most are sold to Indian tourists, but the rest are exported. Demand grew after Kashmir willow bats were introduced during the ICC World T20 competition in Dubai last year, says Fawzul Kabeer, who owns a company that exports cricket bats.
But as willow becomes more difficult to source, farmers have begun planting poplars instead, because the faster-growing tree is preferred by the booming plywood industry.
It's a problem that primarily affects India and surrounding countries, who rely on the more affordable Kashmir-made bats, while international players rely on bats made from imported English willow.
“There will be no bats produced in Kashmir in the coming years if the shortage continues,” Mr Kabeer says. “The trees are being cut in large numbers and no one is planting them again."
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Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
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The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
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- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
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- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
Europe’s rearming plan
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- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States |
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China |
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UAE |
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4. |
Japan |
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Norway |
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Canada |
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Singapore |
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Australia |
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Saudi Arabia |
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South Korea |
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The advice provided in our columns does not constitute legal advice and is provided for information only. Readers are encouraged to seek independent legal advice.
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Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
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