{"id":41052,"date":"2025-04-12T19:26:32","date_gmt":"2025-04-12T13:56:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=41052"},"modified":"2025-04-12T19:26:44","modified_gmt":"2025-04-12T13:56:44","slug":"the-magic-of-indian-silk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/12-04-2025\/the-magic-of-indian-silk","title":{"rendered":"The Magic of Indian Silk"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Economy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India&#8217;s raw silk production increased from 31,906 MT in 2017-18 to <strong>38,913 MT in 2023-24.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is Sericulture?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Sericulture is the process of <strong>farming silkworms to make silk<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Silkworms are raised on <strong>mulberry, oak, castor, and arjun leaves<\/strong>. After about a month, they<strong> spin cocoons.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>These cocoons are collected and boiled to soften the silk. The silk threads are then pulled out, twisted into yarn, and woven into fabric.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-dominant-color=\"acaea3\" data-has-transparency=\"true\" style=\"--dominant-color: #acaea3;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"417\" height=\"341\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/04\/life-cycle-of-moth.png\" alt=\"life cycle of moth\" class=\"has-transparency wp-image-41055\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/04\/life-cycle-of-moth.png 417w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/04\/life-cycle-of-moth-300x245.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 417px) 100vw, 417px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Silk Production in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India is the <strong>second-largest producer and consumer<\/strong> of silk globally.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Silk accounts for only <strong>0.2 %<\/strong> of the world&#8217;s total textile production.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India produces four types of natural silks; <strong>Mulberry, Eri, Tasar and Muga.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Silk producing states: Karnataka<\/strong> is the largest silk-producing state in India, followed by <strong>Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Exports of silk<\/strong> and silk goods rose from \u20b91,649.48 crores in 2017-18 to <strong>\u20b92,027.56 crores in 2023-24.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As per Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCIS) reports, the <strong>country exported 3348 MT of silk waste in 2023-24<\/strong>.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Silk waste<\/strong> consists of leftover or imperfect silk from the production process, such as broken fibers or pieces of cocoons.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"c8c4b2\" data-has-transparency=\"true\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"712\" height=\"353\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/04\/raw-silk-production.png\" alt=\"raw silk production\" class=\"has-transparency wp-image-41054\" style=\"--dominant-color: #c8c4b2; width:576px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/04\/raw-silk-production.png 712w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/04\/raw-silk-production-300x149.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 712px) 100vw, 712px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Mulberry Vs Non-mulberry silk\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Mulberry silk<\/strong> comes from silkworms that eat only mulberry leaves.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is <strong>soft, smooth, and shiny with a bright glow<\/strong>, making it perfect for luxury sarees and high-end fabrics.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>92%<\/strong> of the country&#8217;s total raw silk production comes from mulberry.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Non-mulberry silk<\/strong> (also known as Vanya silk) comes from wild silkworms that feed on leaves from trees like oak, castor and arjun.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This silk has a natural, earthy feel with less shine but is strong, durable, and eco-friendly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"c9d2de\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"444\" height=\"388\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/04\/share-of-silk-type-in-india-total-silk-production.png\" alt=\"share of silk type in india total silk production\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-41053\" style=\"--dominant-color: #c9d2de; width:386px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/04\/share-of-silk-type-in-india-total-silk-production.png 444w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/04\/share-of-silk-type-in-india-total-silk-production-300x262.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 444px) 100vw, 444px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Government Initiatives in Silk Development<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Silk Samagra Scheme:<\/strong> Its objective is to scale up production by improving the quality and productivity and to empower downtrodden, poor &amp; backward families through various activities of sericulture in the country. It has <strong>four major Components:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Research &amp; Development, Training, Transfer of Technology and I.T. Initiatives,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Seed Organizations,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Coordination and Market Development and<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Quality Certification Systems (QCS) \/ Export Brand Promotion and Technology Up-gradation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sericulture Development in the North-Eastern States (NERTPS): <\/strong>The objective of this scheme was the revival, expansion, and diversification of sericulture in the state with a special focus on<strong> Eri and Muga silks.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>The Indian Silk Export Promotion Council (ISEPC)<\/strong><br>&#8211; Sponsored by the <strong>Ministry of Textiles<\/strong>, Government of India, the ISEPC is an apex body of the <strong>exporters, manufacturers and merchandisers.\u00a0<\/strong><br>&#8211; The main activities of the council are to explore markets, <strong>establish contacts with potential buyers,<\/strong> organize buyer-seller meets, <strong>silk fairs, and exhibitions, resolve trade disputes<\/strong>, and promote and develop the Indian silk industry and exports.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2120877&amp;reg=3&amp;lang=1\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>PIB<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">India&#8217;s raw silk production increased from 31,906 MT in 2017-18 to 38,913 MT in 2023-24.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>What is Sericulture?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Sericulture is the process of farming silkworms to make silk.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Silkworms are raised on mulberry, oak, castor, and arjun leaves. After about a month, they spin cocoons.\u00a0<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/12-04-2025\/the-magic-of-indian-silk\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41052"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41052\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41080,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41052\/revisions\/41080"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}