Central Silk Board (CSB), the apex body of the Indian silk industry, has proposed to create 40 sericulture/silk clusters in the country during 2008-09. The clusters, planned in different parts of the country, would cover both mulberry and Vanya silk sectors, a top official attached to CSB said. The set target will be achieved with active involvement of CSB’s research units, state departments and non-governmental agencies. The cluster-based approach will promote sericulture with a strong foundation in an identified geographical area and would facilitate the government to create required facilities for technology transfer, upgradation of infrastructure, imparting skill and knowledge through on-the-job training at the farmers’ level.
In this collective exercise, the official said the developmental agencies jointly undertake a diagnostic study of a given cluster for its strengths and weaknesses, assess the needs and chalk out specific action plan with achievable targets in consultation with all project partners, including the stakeholders.
The CSB believes that cluster-based sericulture cultivation would help to increase production, while cutting production cost and make it easier for the government to provide necessary facilities to farmers.
Currently, India produces around 18,000 tonne of silk against the demand of 26,000 tonne of silk, while importing around 5,500 tonne from China to bridge the demand-supply gap. In fact, the sericulture promotional programmes, which were backed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), implemented during 1991 to 2007 have started yielding results now, the official added. JICA programmes have made India self-sufficient in producing bi-voltine silk. The CSB has set a target to increase bi-voltine silk production to 5,000 tonne per annum during the Eleventh Plan from 1,200 tonne in 2007-08.
The creation of silk clusters would help the country to achieve its bi-voltine silk production.
