Kolkata: India and China have joined hands to boost production and trade of silk.
"We want to improve silk trade and bilateral ties between India and China. Around the globe, silk signifies opulence and fine quality and it is a matter of great delight that China and India are the leading producers of this product," said Zha Liyou, Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Kolkata while delivering the inaugural address at the 44th Annual General Meeting of the Silk Association of India held at Bharat Chamber of Commerce on Thursday.
The meeting was attended by Rajendra Kapoor, president of Silk Association of India and Sitaram Sharma, president of BCC. While China is the largest producer of silk in the world followed by India, Mysuru and North Bengaluru in Karnataka are famous for their silks and are called the "Silk City".
"We want to make India self-reliant. Silk Industry should be given financial support and incentives for participation in global Trade Fairs," said Kapoor.
Central Silk Board (CSB), a statutory body under the Ministry of Textiles, is encouraging production and export of silk.
In a bid to benefit farmers engaged in sericulture, CSB is implementing a restructured Central Sector Scheme 'Silk Samagra'. The restructured scheme will give assistance to sericulture stakeholders for plantation with improved Mulberry varieties, Irrigation, Chawki Rearing Centres with incubation facility.