India’s Raw Silk Output Rises To 34,042 Tonnes
India’s raw silk production increased to 34,042 metric tonnes during April-January 2024-25, up from 24,299 metric tonnes during the corresponding period of 2014-15, Parliament was informed.
Minister of State for Textiles Pabitra Margherita, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, attributed the growth largely to government initiatives aimed at strengthening sericulture, improving productivity and raising silk quality.
Key programmes supporting the sector include the Catalytic Development Programme, North East Region Textile Promotion Scheme (NERTPS), Integrated Scheme for the Development of Silk Industry and Silk Samagra initiatives. These schemes have supported modernisation, infrastructure development and improvements across the silk value chain.
The silk sector also remains a significant source of employment, with an estimated 80.90 lakh people engaged in the industry. Of this, around 71.2 lakh are directly employed, while 9.7 lakh are engaged indirectly, based on production data up to January 2025.
The government has also focused on improving the quality of Indian silk. The establishment of 109 Automatic Reeling Machines across the country has helped increase the production of international-grade 3A and 4A quality silk, strengthening India’s competitiveness in global markets.
The Central Silk Board is implementing the Silk Samagra-2 scheme with an allocation of Rs 4,679.85 crore for 2021-22 to 2025-26. The scheme provides financial support to state governments for activities including kisan nurseries, silkworm rearing, infrastructure development and post-cocoon processing.
As of the latest available data, Rs 1,075.58 crore has been disbursed under Silk Samagra-2, benefiting around 78,000 stakeholders involved in pre- and post-cocoon activities.
Over the past three years, including the current fiscal year, Rs 72.50 crore has been allocated to Andhra Pradesh and Rs 40.66 crore to Telangana under beneficiary-oriented components of Silk Samagra-2.
The government’s continued focus on sericulture, technology adoption, research and infrastructure development is aimed at improving productivity and quality while supporting employment and strengthening India’s position in the global silk market.
