India’s raw silk production has surged to 34,042 metric tonnes during the April-January period of 2024-25, marking an increase of nearly 10,000 metric tonnes from the 24,299 metric tonnes recorded in the same period of 2014-15, the Parliament was informed on Tuesday.
Minister of State for Textiles Pabitra Margherita, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, attributed this growth to various central government schemes, including the Catalytic Development Programme, North East Region Textile Promotion Scheme (NERTPS), Integrated Scheme for Development of Silk Industry, Silk Samagra, and Silk Samagra-2.
He further stated that the estimated employment generation in the silk sector, based on production figures until January 2025, stands at 80.90 lakh people, with 71.2 lakh in direct employment and 9.7 lakh in indirect employment.
The establishment of 109 Automatic Reeling Machines across the country has significantly boosted the production of international-grade silk (3A and 4A quality), improving India’s silk industry standards, the minister added.
To further enhance the sericulture sector, the government, through the Central Silk Board, is implementing the Silk Samagra-2 scheme with an outlay of Rs. 4,679.85 crore for the period 2021-22 to 2025-26. This scheme provides financial assistance to states for various interventions, including the establishment of kisan nurseries, silkworm rearing support, infrastructure development, and post-cocoon processing.
So far, Rs. 1,075.58 crore has been disbursed to states, benefiting approximately 78,000 stakeholders under Silk Samagra-2, supporting both pre- and post-cocoon activities. Additionally, research and development initiatives have played a crucial role in enhancing silk production and productivity, aligning with the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat in the silk sector.
During the last three years, including the current year, financial assistance of Rs. 72.50 crore has been provided to Andhra Pradesh and Rs. 40.66 crore to Telangana for implementing beneficiary-oriented components under the Silk Samagra-2 scheme, Margherita informed the House.
(With IANS inputs)
