Kashmir silk industry

The competition posed by Chinese silk yarn and the defective process of silk production is threatening the traditional silk industry of Kashmir.

Average cocoons productivity of the state is about 35 kg per 100 Disease Free Laying’s, which is far less than the national average. At present only 25 percent of cocoons are utilized by the private reelers of the state while rest of the cocoons are disposed off to outside traders, resulting in heavy value loss.

The reasons analyzed are the slow progress of sericulture sector of the state. As per the report provided by the Sericulture Department, mulberry cultivation is currently propagated only in departmental nurseries. Mulberry is raised only under rain fed conditions and field survivability is as low as 30 percent. Besides due to the non application of inputs, improper leaf harvesting and non adherence of advocated cultural operations the quality of leaf also gets significantly affected at the farmer’s level.

The report says, even as entire quantity of silkworms seed distribution for field rearing are produced from  improved breeds, but due to the improper rearing condition at the farmer’s level, the productive is affected. It has been observed that 10-15 percent worms are lost during chawki stage, thereby affecting cocoon yield.

Other threats faced by the silk industry include increasing competition with other agriculture crops, dumping of the bivoltine silk but bother countries, available at cheaper rates, lack of good post cocoon sector resulting in the production of low grade silk and no value addition, backward and forward linkage.

Currently the state produces 900 MTs of cocoons which generated an income of Rs 1100lakhs. The department has 173 mulberry nurseries spread over an area of 963 acres.

The number of rears in the state has declined from 60,000 in 1947 to 2500 in 2011. The total area under mulberry is 7075 hectors.

Talking to Kashmir Times, additional director, Sericulture Department, Dr Malik Farooq said that major reason for the decline of silk industry was the introduction of Chinese silk yarn which is availability to the customer at lower price.“Chinese silk has given tough competition. Our rearers suffer as people prefer China silk to Kashmir silk,” Farooq said.He said that the government is doing its best to have better the means of silk rearing and processing to prevent the losses.“We have many strategies in our list which will revive the silk industry. Infact over past few years there has been an increase in the production,” said Malik Farooq.