Raw silk production increased by 10.52 per cent: Govt to LS

India is the second largest producer of silk in the world and the total raw silk production in the country increased by 10.52 per cent during 2018-19 over the previous year, Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani said in Lok Sabha on Friday.

Irani said among the four varieties of silk produced in 2018-19, Mulberry accounts for 71.50 per cent (25,213 MT), Tussar 8.44 per cent (2,977 MT), Eri 19.40 per cent (6,839 MT) and Muga 0.66 per cent (232 MT) of the provisional total raw silk production of 35,261 MT.

"The total raw silk production in the country increased by 10.52 per cent (35,261 Metric Tonne (MT)) during 2018-19 over the previous year 2017-18 (31,906 MT)," she said during Question Hour.

The minister said the Central Silk Board (CSB), a statutory body under the Ministry of Textiles is encouraging production and export of silk.

To benefit farmers engaged in sericulture, CSB is implementing a restructured Central Sector Scheme 'Silk Samagra', which mainly focuses on improving quality and productivity of domestic silk thereby reducing the country's dependence on imported silk.

Under the scheme, assistance is extended to sericulture stakeholders for the beneficiary oriented components like, raising of Kissan Nursery, Plantation with improved Mulberry varieties, Irrigation, Chawki Rearing Centres with incubation facility, construction of rearing houses besides others, she said.