Srinagar, Oct. 29 -- The handicraft dealers of Kashmir have embraced Geographical Indication (GI) tagging in a big way as the Pashmina Testing and Quality Certification Centre (PTQCC) at the Craft Development Institute (CDI) here has recorded a sharp rise in the testing of products, especially Kashmir Pashmina, Kani and Sozni embroidered shawls, during the current financial year. "The surge reflects stronger institutional capacity, upgraded laboratory infrastructure and growing demand for authentic GI certification and QR coding," a spokesperson of the Handicrafts and Handloom Department, Kashmir, said. The spokesman said that the testing rate, which was 40-45 per day in 2024-25, has now risen to 170 per day in 2026-27. "In 2024-25, PTQCC conducted 13,369 tests at an average of 40-45 tests per day. This rose to 22,351 tests in 2025-26, with the daily average increasing to 75-85 tests. In the current financial year, PTQCC has already performed approximately 21,000 tests. With another 21,000 tests projected between November 2026 and March 31, 2027, the annual total is expected to reach around 42,000 tests, nearly doubling the testing rate achieved in the previous years," the spokesman said. To support this expansion, the laboratory has been strengthened with advanced equipment, including a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and two High-Resolution Digital Microscopes. "The department is in the process of procuring another OFDA 2000 fibre analyser and an additional digital microscope under CAPEX. These additions are expected to further accelerate testing, improve precision in fibre identification and quality assessment and meet the rising demand for GI testing and QR coding of certified products," he said....