To insulate the silk export segment from occasional fluctuations in the international market, the Central Silk Board (CSB) is exploring virgin territories.
The Board is now looking at non-traditional silk export markets, CSB member secretary and chief executive officer (CEO) M Sathiyavathy said here.
“Silk products are mainly exported to the US and Europe. Now, we are also exploring the Latin American and African markets, besides Japan and Australia,” she said.
Silk exports from India hovers around Rs3,250 crore, however, last year exports had dipped to Rs2,750 crore due to slowdown in USA and Europe. During 2008-09, the export of silk products had also fallen to Rs2,500 crore compared to Rs3,500 crore in 2007-08.
However, the Board expects the exports to rise to Rs3,200 crore, after two consecutive years of decease in value.
India is the second largest producer and exporter of silk products in the world after China. Of the total world silk production at 1,30,000 tonnes, China accounts for 1,00,000 tonnes. The silk production and consumption in India stands at roughly 20,000 tonnes and 26,000 tonnes respectively. The rest of raw silk is imported from China. Meanwhile, Silk Mark Expo 2010 was inaugurated by union secretary, ministry of textiles Rita Menon.
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This financial year, the Silk Board had been allocated a budgetary grant of Rs320 crore for the development of the sector.
Menon said the government wanted growth of all the textile fibres, including silk, cotton etc.
“We want to make silk contemporary and appealing to the youth and for that designers and master weavers are being roped in all the silk clusters across India,” she said. The idea is to develop the whole value chain of silk right from the farmers, weavers, retailers and exporters.
Karnataka is the leading silk producing state accounting for almost 50 per cent of domestic production.
“We are also planning to augment silk production in UP by bringing 3,000 acres of additional land under silk culture every year, so that silk production reaches 2,500 by the end of 12th Five Year Plan,” Sathiyavathy said. While, the consumption of silk in UP is 5,000 tonnes, the production is merely 50 tonnes.