Commerce & Industry Minister Anand Sharma, who has been given an additional charge of textiles ministry, met Karnataka Labour and Sericulture Minister B N Bache Gowda along with other stakeholders.
“They have asked the Centre to consider to improve the quality of cocoon and fix Minimum Support Price (for silk). We will discuss it with the concerned governments too,” Sharma said here.
In last few months, the cocoons and raw silk prices have dipped. The prices of cocoons fell from about Rs 350 a kg in February to over Rs 100 now. Raw silk prices also fell drastically — from Rs 2,800 a kg to less than Rs 1,500 a kg, at present. About half the silk produced in India comes from Karnataka.
Besides, Sharma said, “We have advised farmers to look at other non-mulberry cocoons.” About 8.15 lakh farmers in the state are dependent on sericulture and the state produces 8,000 metric tonnes of raw silk and 55,000 metric tonnes of cocoons every year.
Published 28 July 2011, 14:34 IST