Karnataka is the largest
producer of silk in India. The state produces an average of around 8,200 metric
tonnes of silk every year, which is about one-third of the total silk
production in India. Up to November 2017, Karnataka has produced 5,962 metric
tonnes of silk, which is about one-third of the Indian silk production. Mysuru
and North Bengaluru in Karnataka are famous for their silks and are called the
“Silk City” as they majorly contribute to the silk production in India.
India, being the second largest
producer of silk after China, produces all the four varieties of silk –
mulberry, muga, Tropical tasar, Oak tasar, and eri. Among the four varieties of
silk produced in 2016-17, Mulberry accounts for 70.09% (21,273 MT), Tasar
10.77% India, being the second largest producer of silk after China, produces
all the four varieties of silk – mulberry, muga, Tropical tasar, Oak tasar, and
eri. Among the four varieties of silk produced in 2016-17, Mulberry accounts
for 70.09% (21,273 MT), Tasar 10.77% (3,268 MT), Eri 18.58% (5,637 MT) and Muga
0.56% (170 MT) of the total raw silk production of 30,348 MT.
The production of silk depends
on various factors like the weather conditions, land available to cultivate
mulberry plants and breeding of around 10,000 silkworms in one-acre of land,
for better yield. The water available for the rearing of silkworms is soft,
free from iron and alkaline salts.
The sericulture is concentrated
in the Mysuru, Kolar, Ramnagara, Bengaluru Rural, Chikkaballapura and Kolar
districts of Karnataka. The districts of Kolar and Chikkaballapura accounted
for the second and third largest area under mulberry respectively, under both
rainfed and irrigation conditions. The employment generation in the country is
raised to 8.51 million persons in 2016-17 compared to 8.25 million persons in
2015-16, indicating a growth of 3.15% by producing silk in the state.
As sericulture is a state
subject, the Government of Karnataka has launched intensive programmes like
Karnataka Sericulture Project with the assistance from the World Bank to
develop sericulture industry in the state. The motive behind this initiative
was to expand the silk production base and to provide a sound infrastructure to
the silk industry. Recently, the Central Silk Board is planning to increase the
area of sericulture to the non-sericulture zone in North Karnataka due to
increasing global demand for silk. It will focus on expanding the mulberry
cultivation in the state. This will make India self-reliant and there will not
be any need to import any silk from China by 2020.
