LAHORE: Lahore’s kite makers warn that the price of cotton thread for Basant 2027 has skyrocketed from Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 3,500 in just two weeks. Industry veterans caution that the six-month production window granted by the Punjab government to keep the festival affordable is being aggressively exploited by market hoarders before major workshops can even begin mass production.
The complaints come directly from licensed manufacturers, dor makers (string coaters), traders, and veteran craftsmen. They describe a volatile local market where raw materials like thread, kite paper, and bamboo are being intentionally withheld and resold at heavily inflated rates. Notably, none of these raw materials are covered under the current registration regime, which currently applies only to the primary manufacturers.
Skyrocketing Costs of Basant Raw Materials
Several workshop owners blame cash-rich investors for buying up raw stock early to create artificial shortages. Industry insiders are now urging the district administration to register raw-material suppliers alongside kite and dor makers ahead of the festival, which is scheduled for Jan 29 to Feb 7, 2027.
Local craftsmen highlighted the dramatic price jumps disrupting their businesses:
- Cotton Thread: Prices surged from a routine rate of Rs. 1,800–2,000 up to Rs. 3,500–4,000 per unit within 15 days.
- Tawa-Size Kite Paper: Reams imported from China have climbed to Rs. 12,000 overall, or roughly Rs. 600 per dasta.
- 1.5-Tawa Kite Paper: Market rates have jumped to between Rs. 8,500 and Rs. 10,000, up from a standard price of Rs. 5,000.
- Short-Shipped Paper Reams: Suppliers are delivering reams containing only 480 sheets instead of the standard 500 sheets, resulting in a loss of 20 kites per bundle.
- Substandard Bamboo Supplies: Poor-quality bamboo yields only four usable kites out of ten, forcing makers to load the financial loss of the broken materials onto surviving inventory.
Nawaz Sharif Directs Licensing Operations
The Basant Portal formally opened to manufacturers on September 5 with a Rs. 1,000 registration fee. Out of 3,500 applications received, more than 3,000 have been approved by the government. This marks a massive turnaround from September 20, when reports revealed that zero licenses had been issued due to verification delays.
Veteran kite maker Ustad Piddi, operating out of Niazi Adda in the Walled City, shared that PML-N President Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif personally phoned him to order festival kites. Keeping regulatory compliance strict, Ustad Piddi told Mr. Sharif to ensure his official license was issued first.
Journalist Zohaib Saleem Butt reports that verified license holders will receive two unique QR codes to track inventory directly via an online mobile application. Finished goods cannot leave local workshops until secondary trader licenses are issued by the administration in early 2027.
Government and Police Oversight Under Scrutiny
Addressing these severe market distortions, Deputy Commissioner Lahore Captain (retd) Muhammad Ali Ijaz stated that the administration is conducting strict on-ground verifications before clearing certificates. While the government does not regulate kite materials as essential commodities like flour or sugar, the DC confirmed that legal action will be taken if formal hoarding complaints are lodged via the office’s official social media channels.
However, practical and ethical worries persist among household laborers. Multiple manufacturers claim that field inspection teams have violated family privacy by entering private rooms and bathrooms while women were present. Furthermore, workshop owners allege that some police officials demand illicit “expenses” from local businesses before leaving them alone.
In response, the administration noted that anonymous complaints against corrupt police officials can be filed directly at the DC office, aligning with Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s ongoing provincial anti-corruption crackdown. Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb previously reiterated to Dawn that these strict 2027 regulations exist solely to protect public life and property following past festival casualties.