Last Updated: 14 May 2025
Reopened Punjab Govt owned Silk seed centre after 15 years in Dalhousie (Himachal Pradesh) in 2024
i.e. Reduced Costs of Silk seeds
IMPACT
-- Annual produrement rose to 35,000 kg
-- Price of cocoons has risen from ₹550 to ₹1,250 per kilogram with marketing & tech support from Govt
Silk production becomes lifeline of poor farmers in Punjab
-- Doubled Avg annual income per farmer
- Previously the department provided silk seeds to silkworm rearers from Central Silk Board centres
- With the reopening of this facility, the Punjab government will be able to produce its own silk seeds with reduced transportation costs
- Dalhousie’s environment is suitable for silk seed production
¶ 2. Own Silk label and reeling units to process silk
- Punjab will introduce state-produced silk products to the market under its own label
- A reeling unit for converting cocoons into silk thread is being set up in Pathankot
- This will ensure fair prices for silk produce to increase farmers’ income
- Income of silk rearers can potentially increase by 1.5 to 2 times with this
- Inaugural Silk Mark Expo head in Chandigarh in Dec 2024
- Showcased exceptional silk craftsmanship and bolstered the silk trade.
- Total 1,200 to 1,400 silk rearers engaged in Sericulture
- Mulberry silk cocoons: 1000 to 1100 ounces of mulberry silk seeds are reared, yielding 30,000 to 35,000 kgs
- Eri silk cocoons: 200 ounces of eri silk seeds produce 5,000 to 8,000 kgs
- Sericulture is currently practiced in ~230 villages across the sub-mountainous districts of Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot and Ropar
- Sericulture is the process of obtaining silk from silkworms
- It is gaining prominence in the country as the demand for silk far outweighs its supply
- “Silk is an indispensable part of Indian culture. Also, there is huge export potential for Indian silk products,”
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