The ministry of textiles has worked out a comprehensive strategy to enhance the production of import substitute quality silk in the country.
Official sources said that there is a conscious effort to establish “Indian silk” as a brand in the global market. There is an overall effort to increase production from 23,060 metric tonnes (MT) during XI plan to 32,000 MTs by the end of XII plan period. This is to be done by undertaking 350 research projects to generate patents and 130 technology packages.
Various states have been advised to work out a single window facility for the stakeholders of the silk industry in the entire value chain starting from farmers to weavers.
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Besides, various fiscal measures have been taken to boost the domestic silk industry. The basic custom duty on silk imports has been increased from 5% to 15%, which has improved the prices of domestic silk.
Earlier during 2011, the government reduced the custom duty on silk imports from 30% to only 5%, due to which the price of cocoon and raw silk came down drastically. Post a sunset review, the anti-dumping duty, which was increased from 42% to 77% and was effective till Dec-2011, was extended for another five years till December 2016.
Besides various states have developed raw material banks for silk. A Raw Material Bank (RMB) for Tasar is functioning at Chaibasa (Jharkhand) along with four sub-depots, one each at Raigarh (Chhattisgarh), Bhagalpur (Bihar), Warangal (AP) and Bhandara (Maharashtra). The primary objective of RMB is to ensure economic and fair price to the primary tasar growers. Similarly, a Muga Raw Material Bank is functioning at Sibsagar in Assam with 3 Sub-Depots, at Dhakukhana, Sualkuchi (Assam) and Coochbehar (WB) with the objective of ensuring economic and fair price to the actual muga cocoon producers.
Sericulture is being included as agriculture allied activity under RKVY, thereby extending all the benefits of the scheme including financial subsidy for the entire sericulture activities.
Forest Conservation Act has been amended to treat non mulberry sericulture as forest based activity enabling the farmers to undertake vanya silkworm rearing in the natural host plantation in the forests. Vanya silk thus generated will be promoted as eco silk with special financial incentives, said officials.