Gems And Jewellery Project
In 2013, AKRSP initiated the project “Gilgit-Baltistan – The Jewel of Pakistan: Developing a Sustainable Value Chain in the Gems and Jewellery Sector in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral”. The project targets all the stakeholders in the gems sector, from mine to market, including miners, processors, marketers and final consumers. The objective of the project is to develop a sustainable value chain in the gems and jewellery sector in GBC by improving the mining situation, upgrading technology and skills for processing and value addition, improving design and product development and developing the market for the final products. The project is preceded by a thorough research of the value chain, currently ongoing. Additionally, coordination meetings and awareness session are being conducted prior to initiating target activities. A baseline study on the gems and jewellery sector was conducted and preliminary training provided towards a needs assessment on safe mining.
Funded by: European Union (EU)
Project Duration: 34 months: (June 2013 – March 2016)
Geographic Focus: Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral
Objectives
To develop a sustainable value chain for Gems and Jewellery sector in Northern Pakistan Project
Key Targets
- Basic and advanced training for more than 1500 in cutting, polishing and jewellery making
- Strengthening market based services
- Performance improvising and strengthening of competitiveness
- Upgrading skills and introduction and use of new technology
- Improving national and international
Key Achievements
- 190 individuals (22 men and 168 women) were trained in basic Gems cutting and another 233 individuals (39 men and 194 women) were trained in advance Gems cutting and polishing.
- 174 individuals (155 young women and 19 women) were trained in jewellery making and 22 men were trained in gemstone valuation.
- Three service providers were supported in advanced technology.
- 11 service providers from across GBC were provided with Technical Assistance Support.
- 9 lead enterprises were supported from across GBC in acquiring appropriate technology to enhance production capacity.
- 858 miners including 20 women were trained in improved mining practices.
- Video documentary of “Gilgit-Baltistan the Jewel of Pakistan” to highlight the natural resource, culture and sceneries and a catalogue on gemstones of Gilgit region and distributed 1,000 copies.
- Supported Government Tourism Department to organize two national level exhibitions.
- Assessment of mining situation conducted with identification of issues and provision of strategic guidelines for developing artisanal mining practices in GBC.
