SILK INDUSTRY
Silk is lustrous, luxurious, lightweight, resilient, and strong. Mulberry silk is the dominant variety and blends well with cotton. Tasar, Eri & Muga are other important varieties. Innovation and technology advancements are driving higher yields and quality of silk. Demand is expected to grow strongly (7.8%pa between 2016-2021) due to increasing disposable incomes and customer preferences in high consuming countries like China, India and the U.S.

Trends in Raw Silk production (MT) in India
11-12 12-13 13-14 14-15 15-16 16-17
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Bivoltine 1,685 1,984 2,559 3,870 4,613 5,205
Multivolt' 16,587 16,731 16,917 17,523 15,865 15,998
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Mulberry 18,272 18,715 19,476 21,390 20,478 21,203
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Tasar 1,590 1,729 2,619 2,434 2,819 3,259
Eri 3,072 3,116 4,237 4,726 5,060 5,269
Muga 126 119 148 158 166 171
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Vanya 4,788 4,964 7,004 7,318 8,045 9,060
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Total 23,060 23,679 26,480 28,708 28,523 30,263
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Prices rs/kg: Mulberry (2210); Tasar (4650); Eri (2300); Muga (13300)

Production of Mulberry (2011/12 to 2015/16)
Area ha. 181,089 186,015 203,023 219,819 208,947 221,000

Silk production is up 5.9% pa: 3.4% for Mulberry & 13.4% for Vanya. Bivoltine silk production has increased explosively (24.5%pa) within Mulberry heading. All Vaniya varieties have increased production—their share of total silk production has grown from 21% to 30%. Bivoltine Mulberry silkworms are at 25+% premium to cross-breed silkworms. Tasar and Muga are expensive silks: they are 36-39% of Vanya varieties. Mulberry area has grown by 4.5%pa

http://www.csb.gov.in/assets/Uploads/documents/note-on-sericulture.pdf

Future plans
1. Globally competitive silks by 2020: improved cross-breeds
2. Import substitute Bivoltine silk.
3. Promote Vanya silk though forestry & focus on NE / other regions.
4. Improve the quality of spun silk, reduce waste: machinery
5. Mechanisation, private participation for seeds, inputs, processes.
6. Large scale, climate & salt resistant, organic plantations.
7. Improved breeds for higher yields, quality, easier handling
8. Research other uses incl. silk wastes, market formulations, help trade
9 Certification of value chains, training, IT.

http://csb.gov.in/assets/Uploads/documents/Future-Plan.pdf

ACHIEVEMENTS: work done to implement future plans
¶⤞ Record production of raw, bivoltine & Vanya silks
¶⤞ Mulberry raw silk productivity is now 100kg/ha (up from 98kg/ha)
¶⤞ 35 Automatic reeling machine (for lower waste) were imported. The indigenously developed machine was also launched in Dec 2016.
¶⤞ Modern spinning & reeling machines for Vanya silk installed in 5 places.
¶⤞ New cold storage for larvae set up in Mysore
¶⤞ Processing 'mega-cluster' was set up on 10 acres in Mysore
¶⤞ Space tech & IT portal have identified promising new sites, esp in NE.
¶⤞ Eight NE states will be grant assisted to add 3000 MT.
¶⤞ Tasar development program set up in 5 Eastern states & Maha, AP & Tel.
¶⤞ Easy value chain linkages in 2 districts.
¶⤞ Overseas breeds were acquired to improve existing stock for quality, productivity & survivability. High chance of success.
¶⤞ New silk material developed and marketed as branded saris.
¶⤞ Seri-tourism 'belts' created in Maha, Kar, TN.
¶⤞ UPI digital payment training was given to 1 million stakeholders!!

CSB » Central Silk Board