Cricket Bat Industry as an Economically Viable Livelihood Option in Kashmir: Present Status and Future Prospects
2014
Masoodi, T. H. | Ahmad, Hillal | Gangoo, S. A. | Sofi, P. A. | Mir, S. A. | Saraf, S. A. | Murtaza, Shah | Bashir, Altamash | Bhat, G. M. | Mir, A. A. | Bhat, M. A. | Mir, A. A. | Bhat, M. A.
The main objective of this study was to determine whether bat manufacturing units operational in Kashmir were sustainable entrepreneurial ventures or whether they exhibit a declining trend in terms of economic viability. The study also aimed to document the main constraints that confront the cricket bat industry in order to devise future strategies and research needs that can help to exploit the full economic potential of this indigenous wood-based industry. The present study was carried out in a bat manufacturing cluster, which is composed of about 70 units concentrated on the Jammu–Srinagar national highway in the valley of Kashmir (India). Results revealed that the cost of manufacturing cricket bats decreased with the increase in the size of the industrial unit, indicating the existence of “economies of scale.” The gross returns earned by small-, medium-, and large-scale units were more than 2.7, 5.0, and 8.2 million rupees (Rs), with benefit-cost ratios (BCRs) of 1.69, 2.05, and 2.29, respectively. The cost and return structure, in relation to various economic indicators such as BCR, net income, breakeven quantity, and export competitiveness, reflects positive trends, and the bat manufacturing activity fetched a reasonable profit to the unit holders, besides providing employment opportunities to youth and thereby reflecting that this entrepreneurial venture is an economically viable livelihood activity. These results indicate that, despite underutilization of installed production capacity, the manufacture of cricket bats is a lucrative venture in Kashmir and can be up-scaled to become highly competitive in terms of its export potential to other countries.
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