Benefits of the domestic 'silk route'

Creating a market for the byproducts of sericulture would hugely benefit silk farmers, as also other stakeholders in the silk sector

India seems set to become the world’s leading producer of silk and silk products by 2030, thanks to rapid strides in the cultivation of silkworms and production of silk fibre from their cocoons – technically termed sericulture. The annual production of silk, estimated at 36,500 tonnes in 2022-23, is projected to surge to more than 50,000 tonnes by 2030, and surpass that of China, the world’s largest silk producer. India’s main focus now is on inducting modern technologies into this sector, where a sizable section of silk farmers is still following the age-old practices of silk production.