Raw silk production in India has jumped to 34,042 metric tonnes for the April-January period of 2024-25, a big jump over the 24,299 metric tonnes achieved in the same period of 2014-15. This increase is mostly due to different central government programmes such as Catalytic Development Programme, North East Region Textile Promotion Scheme (NERTPS), Integrated Scheme for Development of Silk Industry, and the Silk Samagra schemes. These initiatives have improved standards of production and increased production, making India the world's second-largest producer of raw silk.
The sericulture industry employs about 80.90 lakh people, of whom 71.2 lakh work directly and 9.7 lakh indirectly. The introduction of 109 Automatic Reeling Machines has led to the improvement of the quality of silk, resulting in international-grade silk that enhances India's position in the global market.
Source: Business World, Economic Times