8th India International Silk Fair inaugurated by Smriti Irani

February 1, 2021

The Textiles Minister of India, Smriti Irani, inaugurated the 8th India International Silk Fair on the Virtual Portal.

Highlights

This fair is the biggest silk fair of India.
The fair is being held under one roof of the virtual platform of Indian Silk Export Promotion Council.
The fair is a five days long event.
More than 200 overseas buyers have already registered.
Further, around 200 overseas representatives in India will interact with more than 100 renowned and big Indian companies who are engaged in manufacturing and trading the silk and silk blended products.

Silk in the India

Silk is a luxury good in India. Around 97% of the raw mulberry silk is produced in five states namely, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Gujarat.
Mysore and North Bangalore will also become the site of a US$20 million Silk City.
In Tamil Nadu, mulberry silk cultivation is concentrated in Salem, Erode and Dharmapuri districts.
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh and Gobichettipalayam in Tamil Nadu were some of the first locations to establish the automated silk reeling units.
India is the 2nd largest producer of Silk after China.
India is also the largest consumer of silk across the world.
India is also the only country across the world that produces all the four major varieties of silk – Mulberry, Eri, Tassar, and Muga.

Background

The cultivation of silk, or Sericulture, date back to the Indus valley Civilization between 2450 BC to 2000 BC. In the Harappa and Chanhu-daro sericulture was employing wild silk threads from the native silkworm species. Indus silks were obtained from species called Antheraea and Philosamia (eri silk).

Eri silk

Eri silk is found in northeast India and some parts of China and Japan. In 1974, it was imported to Thailand. This is a woolly white silk and is often referred to as the fabric of peace since it is processed without killing the silkworm.

Tassar silk

It is produced from larvae of several species of silkworms living in the wild forests in trees. The silk is valued for its rich texture and natural deep gold colour. It is produced in China, Japan, India, and Sri Lanka.

« Previous Post Next Post »