With an aim to bring down import of raw silk to zero-level in less than a decade, India has been steadily reducing its dependence on raw silk from China and has nearly halved such imports from 10,000 tonnes five years ago to around 5,700 tonnes at present.
According to CSB Member-Secretary Ishita Roy, various measures were undertaken by the central and state government through CSB like ensuring better prices to farmers and better deal for reelers and those involved in the value chain have helped reduce imports of raw silk despite increase in demand.
India produced raw silk of 23,060 tonnes in 2011-12 -- 18,395 tonnes of mulberry silk and 4,835 tonnes of vanya silks), and the figure is expected to touch at least 24,000 tonnes in the current financial year. Further, the country's silk exports were to the tune of Rs 2,523 crore in 2011-12.
In the first nine months of the current fiscal, exports dropped sharply owing largely to down-turn in India's main markets of the US and Western Europe. However, with Indian exporters now diversifying into stable geographies, mainly Scandinavian countries, the UAE and South Africa, shipments have started looking up impressively in the last two months.
The raw silk production target during the 12th Plan is around 32,000 tonnes which include 5,000 tonnes of superior quality of bivoltine raw silk and 6,000 tonnes of improved gradable cross breed mulberry silk (2A/3A grade).
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