Kashmir's famous willow wood from which internationally acclaimed cricket bats are made for the World Cups never faced any crisis even at the height of militancy until recently. Some kind of fungus like patches have severely affected the plantation on an epidemic scale in the northern part of the region. The Rs 250 million worth willow industry is under threat in the valley, since the plantations mainly in Pulwama and Anantnag districts, have been infected by insects like leaf blight, lymantria and blue beatles.