Srinagar, Sept. 18 -- Kashmir's handicraft industry has a middleman problem, and the government has allowed it to become far too comfortable.

A craft tradition that grew through generations of Kashmiri skill now leaves many artisans at the weakest end of its own economy.

The person who designs, weaves, carves or paints the product often receives a small fraction of the final price. Those who control orders, buyers and markets can capture a far larger share.

That imbalance has lasted long enough.

Kashmir's craft history reaches back centuries. The official handicrafts record credits Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani, the Persian Sufi who came to Kashmir in the 14th century, with introducing papier-mache and bringing craftsmen who influenced carp...