The silk industry is the one that is responsible for the breeding of silkworms as well as the production of silk thread and fabric from the silk they produce. The Indian silk industry is one of the largest generators of employment and foreign exchange for the country as sericulture activities are spread across 52,360 villages in India. In terms of the production of all commercially useful varieties of silk, India holds a unique global position. India is the world's second-largest silk producer. During FY19, sericulture employed more than 9.1 million people in India. This article will explain to you about Silk Industries which will be helpful in preparing Geography for the UPSC Civil service exam.

Silk Production Process

• Silk production is divided into two stages:
  • pre-cocoon
  • post-cocoon.

Pre-cocoon Stage

• Sericulturists plant mulberry trees and raise disease-free silkworm seeds that grow on mulberry leaves in the first phase.
• As the quality of silk depends on the leaves fed to the silkworms, great care is taken with the initial seeds and mulberry plantation.
• Silkworms go through four stages of development, from egg to moth, and during the caterpillar stage, they spin a cocoon around themselves.
• The silkworm's spun thread is primarily made up of two proteins: fibroin, the fibre, and sericin, the adhesive between the cocoon and the fibre.

Post-cocoon Stage

• In the post-cocoon phase, reeling occurs.
• Silk is reeled from cocoons within fifteen days of spinning to obtain the highest quality silk. With 10 kg of cocoons, one roll of silk can be made. Weavers weave the reeled silk into finished products for the consumer market.
• Silk threads have been reeled on reeling machines installed in the homes of silk industrialists for centuries.
• Reeling is a simple process that involves cooking the cocoons in hot water and then reeling the silk fibres into threads with fingers while the cocoons are still hot.
• With the advancement of automation across the board, high-capacity automated reeling machines with high productivity and yield rates are now available, requiring minimal human intervention.

Silk Production Process

Silk Industries in India

• India is the only country that produces all four varieties of silk namely
  • Mulberry
  • Tasar
  • Oak Tasar
  • Eri
  • Muga.
• During the Middle Ages, this industry received a lot of support.
• India was part of the famous 'Silk Route,' and Indian silk was sold all over the world.
• Mulberry cultivation covers approximately 4.5 lakh hectares in India.
• Silk is mostly produced between 15 and 34 degrees north latitude.
• This industry employs approximately 55 lakh people.
• Karnataka produces the most raw silk (65 %), followed by Andhra Pradesh (170 %), West Bengal (8 %), Tamil Nadu (5 %), Assam (2.5 %), and Jammu & Kashmir (2.5 %) (1.2 % ).
• Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Odisha, Punjab, Tripura, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh also produce mulberry silk in small quantities.
• South India is the country's leading silk producer and is home to famous silk weaving enclaves such as Kancheepuram, Dharmavaram, and Arni.

Trend in Raw Silk Production

Geographical Distribution

Silk Industries in India

Exports

• India's silk and silk products exports totaled US$ 291.36 million in fiscal year 2019 and US$ 246.67 million in fiscal year 2020.
• Natural silk yarns, fabrics, made-ups, readymade garments, silk carpets, and silk waste are among the silk products exported.
• From April to June 2021, total silk and silk products exports totaled US$ 83.9 million, with US$ 13.72 million in June 2021.
• From April to June 2021, readymade garments accounted for the largest share of exports followed by fabrics, made-ups and silk waste at US$ 7.45 million.

Challenges

• Low export earnings: Due to the global recession and decreased demand for silk goods in Western countries.
• Exports are also being harmed by the rupee's depreciation.
• Silk exports, on the other hand, are finding new markets in the UAE, Nigeria, and Thailand.
• Powerloom in the name of Handloom: As one can earn the same money working at a powerloom with less stress and selling powerloom in the name of handloom leads to inadequate returns on hardwork of handloom workers because powerloom is much cheaper.
• Competitive pricing: The introduction of low-cost Chinese silk or artificial/synthetic silk yarns has pushed natural silk traders to the brink of bankruptcy.
• Decline in cultivated area: Mulberry silk cultivation in the country has been steadily declining due to rapid urbanization, industrialization, and a lack of agricultural labour.
• The government's piecemeal approach to banning foreign silk, the lack of an integrated market, and traders' lack of knowledge of sericulture also serve as a serious setback for the industry.

Government Initiatives

• The Indian Silk Promotion Council (ISEPC) has started programs to help the silk industry grow and develop.
• ISEPC organises trade shows and fairs all over the world to promote international trade.
• Meetings between exporters and potential customers are also facilitated by the council.
• Silk Samagra, a Central Silk Board initiative, is an integrated scheme for the development of the sericulture industry in the country that includes R&D, training, technology transfer, IT initiatives, market development, quality testing and certification, export, brand promotion, and upgradation, as well as maintenance of the Basic Silkworm Seed Farms supplying seeds to the States.
• To produce high-quality Bivoltine silkworm seed, cold storage facilities and Bivoltine grainages have been improved.
• The Silkworm Seed Act is being implemented to improve the productivity and quality of silk by establishing quality standards in silkworm seed production.
• The Government of India has been providing technical support to the Cocoon sector, including the weaving sector, through the Central Sericulture Training Institute of the Central Silk Board (CSB).
• Handloom weavers are introduced to all four types of silks.
• In Ikat weaving, spun silk and yarn are introduced.
• Conversion of traditional Patola fabrics into garments is one of the Ministry of Textiles' extension programes aimed at promoting silk infrastructure in the country.

Conclusion

Despite being the world's second-largest producer of silk, India's demand for the commodity far outstrips its supply. Imports are currently filling the gap between supply and demand. Natural silk yarns, fabrics, and made ups; readymade garments; silk carpets; and others are the application segments of the market. The largest application area at the moment is silk yarns, fabrics, and made-ups. The market has also been broken down into different states.