AFTER cotton, wool is an important textile fibre which gives considerable support to the national economy. Foreign exchange is earned through export of raw wool. Quality of wool varies from one breed to another as around 21 sheep breeds are reared here. However, quality breeds are small in number and largely concentrated in their habitat.
Wool is classified into three categories: different varieties suitable for medium quality apparel, for fine carpets and for medium carpets. Those falling in the first category are Baloch, Harna and Rakhshani of Balochistan, Michni and Kahani of the NWFP and Kail of the Northern Areas. They produced wool having the fineness ranking between 30.7 to 33.7 micron equivalent to spinning count of 50 to 45. The fineness of Buchi breeds of the Punjab and Hashtnagri, Wazirri Pahari and Tirahi of the NWFP ranges from 34.5 micron to 36.5 microns equivalent to a spinning count of 44.
The breeds falling in the third category include Lobi, Thali, Kajli, and Cholistnai of the Punjab, Dammi of the NWFP and Dumbu of Sindh. The fibre diameter ranges from 37.1 to 40.6 micron equivalent to a spinning count of 40 to 36. Kaghani produce wool having a staple length of about two inches and up per clip six months growth. There are a few other breeds like Bibrik Balochistan, Kocka, Sindh and Ralkhi (the NWFP whose) which possess undesirable quality characteristics like colour, Kemp harshness and coarseness and thus not taken into account while estimating the total raw wool production.
Apart from the fineness, the length with a component of not more than 85 per cent of true fibre and not less than 15 per cent of hectro typical fibre is considered suitable for carpet manufacturing. The wool of quality meets the classification of all breeds. However, tolerance limits of Kempy fibre exceed in the case of a few breeds like Michni, Hashtnagri, Tirahi, Cholistan, Thalli Lohi, Bibrik Kooda and Damni.
The wool is obtained from the sheep by means of two processes — clipped and pulled. Bulk of the production comes from the clipped obtained by shearing the sheep. It constitutes about 85 per cent of the total production. The rest is pulled wool obtained from the skins either by sweating process or by sulfiding in the tanneries. The wool obtained through sulfiding becomes harsh and brittle due to chemical action and thus poses certain problems in scuring and dyeing operations. Clipped fetches the highest price followed by the wool obtained through sweating. The produce obtained through sulfiding method is of poor quality in many aspects and thus is cheap. The normal price ratio among them is 100:85.75.
Sheep are normally clipped twice a year, in autumn March-May and in spring August-October. The wool obtained from autumn clip is largely pale yellow is or yellow while that obtained from spring is white in colour. Clips are done on the breeds of all colours, such as Balkhi or on others with coloured spots on heads legs and other parts of a body. Separate figures of white and yellow wool production are not available. Estimates reveal that about 51 per cent of the total production consists of white wool, 43 per cent pale yellow and yellow and six per cent coloured.
Wool is produced in small lots. About 46.6 per cent of the total production comes in lots ranging from 1.92kg to 17.99kg per household per clip. On clean wool basis, it is only 1.15kg to 10.75kg per household. The sale takes place on small-scale which is uneconomical and a constraint in improving its marketing. Non-commercial operations are responsible for the existence of a large number of intermediates in the trade which results in high incidences of exploitation of the producer.
However with the development of road transport and other communication logistics over time, the marketing of wool is now concentrated in few markets. For instance the wool markets of Pishin in Balochistan, Shikarpur in Sindh, Bahawalpur, Liaqutpur and Hashilpur in the Punjab, Peshawar and the NWFP have lost their traditional importance. Balochistan and the NWFP together produce about 46 per cent of national output but the number of big markets is negligible.
Wool produced in the Frontier region is usually brought to Rawalpindi and Lahore for sale. The main marketing centres are in Lahore, Jhang, Sahiwal, Bahwalnagar and Multan.
Wool of Balochistan origin is mostly sold at the D.G. Khan, Multan and Karachi. Sindh production is mainly sold in Multan and Karachi. The pulled wool is usually presented for sale at the tanneries mostly located in Lahore, Kasur, Hyderabad and Karachi. The marketing system results in lower return to the producers.
In 1958-59, the share of producer in consumer price was as high as 71.7 per cent. This has now deflated to 44.8 per cent only. The profit margin of the intermediaries has increased sharply. It is the cumulative result of substantial increase in the cost of movement of goods from farm to market and high commission.
With the establishment of various types of woollen industrial units including carpet manufacturing, the domestic consumption of raw wool is continuously on the increase. The woollen cottage industry also consumes a sizeable quantity of wool.
A comparison of net supply and consumption reveals about 11.18 million kg as unaccounted for. This is due to an underestimation of consumption in the industry as only reporting industrial units are taken into consideration with some quantities being smuggled out of the country.
Marketing is done on age-old methods. Little effort has been made to improve the system. The only improvement is the grading of raw wool on compulsory basis for exports since 1954.
No export consignment is allowed unless graded for which a certificate of quality is issued.