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Sericulture

Sericulture and Silk Industry is an avocation in India at least the second century B.C. According to historians, raw silk was exported during the reign of Kanishka in 58 B.C. Some legend says that Chinese Buddhist monks smuggled in eggs of silkworms and seeds of the Mulberry tree in their hollow bamboo sticks. In its long history, silk industry has passed through periods of great prosperity as well as decline. The modern silk history dates back to the 15th Century, which was also famous for sculpture and paintings.

During the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries sericulture flourished in the States of the then Bengal, Mysore and Kashmir. Indian silk industry has improved manifold since independence from the raw silk production level of 1437 MT during First Plan period (1969-74) to 23679 MTs by the end of March 2013. This has been possible due to the sustained efforts of Central Silk Board, Govt. of India, its research agencies, Provincial (State) sericulture departments and private stakeholders. Development and introduction of improved races of silkworm breeds, high yielding food plants, improvement in rearing practices, organized seed production network, technology up-gradation in reeling, weaving, wet processing, etc., along with the investment made by the governmental agencies have led to an overall improvement in productivity and quality.