Bengaluru Urban holds its ground as Karnataka weaves silk growth story

Time of India

27-04-2025

Bengaluru: Despite rapid urbanisation, Bengaluru Urban has reinforced its presence in Karnataka's silk arena, producing 174 tonnes of raw silk in 2024-25 and securing the 12th spot among top silk-producing districts in the state.
Overall, Karnataka's silk production continues to grow steadily, reaching 13,276 tonnes this year — an increase of nearly 800 tonnes compared to the previous year. Mandya leads the way with a production of 3,540 tonnes and together with Kolar, Chikkaballapur, and Ramanagara, it contributes over 10,000 tonnes, accounting for the lion's share of the state's total production and ensuring Karnataka remains the top silk producing state in the country.
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MB Rajesh Gowda, commissioner, sericulture development, attributed the sector's growth to several supportive measures. He told TOI: "The govt and Central Silk Board (CSB) has helped increase installations of automatic reeling machines (ARMs) and sericulturists get a good price for cocoons."
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Highlighting past challenges and the turnaround, Gowda said, "Earlier, farmers sustained huge losses due to diseased silkworms. But now, they get disease-free layings. The price too has been good over the past few years. The govt continuous to encourage sericulturists by providing subsidies, including on construction of buildings to house silkworms. All these efforts have helped Karnataka remain the country's leading silk-producing state."
A senior officer from the sericulture department said mulberry cultivation continues in pockets of Bengaluru Urban, especially in Anekal, Doddaballapur, and Hoskote taluks, helping sustain sericulture as a major income source for many farmers. Bengaluru Rural district also contributed 660 tonnes of raw silk this year.
"Sericulturists get cocoons from silkworms in 20 to 25 days," he said. "The price of cocoons has been good for the past three years, so farmers who abandoned sericulture few years ago have resumed cultivation."
In 2024-25, the department distributed 52 ARMs and aims to distribute 60 more this year. SC & ST reelers receive a 90% subsidy on the cost of machines, while others get 75% subsidy. ARMs help extract silk threads from cocoons efficiently, boosting supply of raw silk yarn and ensuring stable prices for farmers.
"We plan to establish ARMs in the northern districts of the state to encourage silk production there," Gowda said.
Sericulture department data shows mulberry is cultivated on nearly 1.2 lakh hectares in Karnataka, producing 93,624 tonnes of cocoon in 2024-25. The state's raw silk production rose from 11,823 tonnes in 2022-23 to 12,463 tonnes in 2023-24 and now stands at 13,278 tonnes. Data from the ministry of textiles reaffirm Karnataka's dominance in silk production nationally, with Andhra Pradesh and Assam ranking second and third, respectively.