ReturnThe recent tension over silk production in Sualkuchi, a small silk weaving town in the state of Assam in northeast India, was the result of a large gap in demand and supply. Hundreds of people who are dependent on the silk industry protested against imported silk products. Protesters also clashed with the police, resulting in police firing and injuring a number of people.
The little production of raw materials in the state has pushed businessmen or silk product sellers to bring imported silk yarn and products to fill the demand and are being sold as weaved in Sualkuchi or Assam. The local weaving community has been opposing this practice for years. They additionally argue that the imported silk is low in quality and cheaper than local products of Assam.
The shortage of silk yarn is viewed as the main constraint. Moreover, another cause of decline of raw silk production is on account of of degrading sericulture farms in Assam. Out of 106 sericulture farms, most are now encroached by local political leaders and government corrupt revenue departmental officials. As a result, Assam’s globally-acclaimed handloom silk industry is passing through a difficult phase, with several constraints now acquiring serious dimensions.
The end result is that the handloom sector is largely dependent on cheap Chinese yarn as raw material. However, that dependence too is getting costlier after a duty hike on Chinese silk put forward by the recent budget allocations. Presenting the Union Budget (2013-14), Indian Finance Minister P Chidambaram proposed to increase the duty on raw silk to decrease dependence on Chinese silk. Chidambaram in his budget speech proposed to increase the duty on raw silk from 5 percent to 15 percent.
The government’s decision to increase the import duty on raw silk has evoked mixed reaction. Indian silk businessmen have expressed concern over the duty hike and said that it would further hit exports of silk fabrics as they heavily rely on cheap raw silk from China.
Assam is also the only place where Muga silk (Antheria assamensis) is produced. But the production of Muga silk is averaging 110 MT per year with a gap between production and production of raw materials. On account of sufficient raw Muga yarn and lower production, people buy Tassar silk cost of which is comparatively low.
The Tassar products which are not native silk of Assam have invaded into the market more than half of the Muga products as pure Muga. Muga is now very costly and so Tassar silk mixed with Muga is being sold in the name of Muga. So the adulterated silk is replacing Muga gradually as its production cannot meet with customer’s demand according to Krishnakanta Chetia, Assistant Director of Government Sericulture Department. Moreover with aan verage 12 MT per year, the mulberry silk (Paat or Mezankori) production in the state of Assam very low and actually this veriety or species mulberry silkworm (Bombyx mori ) is on the verge of extinction in Assam.
Incidentally, mulberry silk contributes 93% of the total silk production in India. The country’s own silk production is of 23000 metric tonnes. In the current fiscal year, the production has recorded a growth of around 20% over the last year. The total production stood at around 23,000 tonnes in the year 2011-12 and this year it could cross 26,000 tonnes. India is the world’s second largest producer of silk, after China which produces 1.20 lakh tonnes every year. Only with an average 1700 MT of Eri production, a low quality silk product is highest in Assam.
India produced 23,060 tons of raw silk in 2011-12 (18,395 tons of mulberry silk and 4,835 tons of vanya silks), and CSB (Central Silk Board) officials said the figure would touch at least 24,000 tonnes in the current fiscal. Despite a large amount of production, India has been importing large amount of raw silk for years. But the country has nearly halved raw silk imports from China.
The dependence on China was to the extent of 10,000 tonnes annually five years ago. Now it has been reduced to around 5,700 tonnes. According to a Central Silk Board official, India has nearly halved raw silk imports from China in the last five years with the goal to bring it down to zero level in less than a decade. The Central Silk Board hopes to bring down the amount of import of raw silk to a level of zero by 2022. The reduction of imports to efforts of the Union Government through the CSB, cooperation of state governments and ensuring better price for farmers and better deal for reelers and those involved in the value chain.
In 2011-12, the country’s silk exports were to the tune of Rs 2,523 crore. The exports dropped sharply in the first nine months of the current fiscal, owing largely to down-turn in India’s main markets of the US and Western Europe but shipments were looking up impressively in the last two months. Indian exporters had now diversified into “stable geographies”, particularly Scandanavian countries, the UAE and South Africa, the CSB source said. An additional area of 59,000 hectare of mulberry is proposed to be raised during the 12th plan period. The export of silk from India is facing the heat of global slowdown and recession with export coming down to Rs 2104 crores till February this year (2012) as against Rs 2,867 Crores in the year 2011-12. Central Silk Board said that global slowdown and recession especially in Europe has affected the export however this year it is expected to improve with customs duty coming down to 5 percent.
One of the prime cause of decline in silk production in Assam is rampant use of pesticides in tea gardens. A large number of people of various districts in Assam now have tea plantations and they use large amount of pesticides, insecticides and herbicides which are killing silkworms. Mostly in upper Assam, the mushrooming growth of small tea gardens have marginalized the heritage of silk cultivation and it is moving it towards extinction, as silkworms die when they breathe toxic components mixed brought in the air from pesticides used in nearby tea gardens. Toxic pesticides like lindane, aldrin, dieldrin, dicofol, endosulfan, ethion, alphamethrin, cypermethrin, metasistox , acephate, paraquot, fenzaquin and others are being used in tea gardens in Assam and silkworms have little resistance to them.
Climate change makes tea cultivators compelled to use excessive pesticides in their gardens. It becomes almost impossible or Assam tea to survive without the use of these chemicals because of the subtropical climatic condition in the state where the use of toxic chemicals are necessary to rid the pests. But their use threatens the silk heritage. Unless Assam, as well as the country, increases the production of raw materials the industry will remain dependent on imported silk and it will be difficult to keep Indian silk heritage pure and intact.
