Silk board to hike raw silk output to 32,000 mn tonnes

Global warming has triggered a need for silkworm breeders to produce breeds that sustain difficult climatic conditions

The Central Silk Board is planning to increase the total raw silk production to around 32,000 million tonne during the 12th Plan, a top official has said.

The target fixed for production of mulberry raw silk is around 23,000 million tonnes out of which 3,500 million tonne is quality bivoltine silk, Member Secretary CSB Ishita Roy said at a Mulberry Silkworm Breeders Meet here on May 28-29.

Roy appealed to the sericulture breeding scientists to evolve new mulberry silkworm breeds that are regional and seasonal specific to enhance silk production and productivity in the country.

In the wake of climatic change and global warming, there has been increasing awareness about the silk quality. Therefore, silkworm breeders need to introspect and meet the challenges of evolving producing silkworm breeds that sustain difficult climatic conditions and resist diseases and produce superior quality silk, Roy said.