State MSME & Textiles dept join hands to boost silk yarn quality
Kolkata: The state MSME and Textiles department has joined hands with the Agriculture department for further enhancement in the quality of silk yarn used in the handloom industry across the state and to reduce the import of thread from states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Jammu & Kashmir and Bihar too.
“We are starting a pilot project at the sericulture farm of the state Agriculture department at Malda where we will be rearing the silkworms in a controlled environment for producing cocoons that can match the strength and other qualities of a bivoltine silk content variety. If this pilot project succeeds, we will further adopt the technique for boosting the silk handloom industry that thrives in Malda, Murshidabad, Bishnupur (Bankura) and Cooch Behar,” said a senior Nabanna official. The thai-reeling process that is prevalent in the state is manual and the quality of yarn often lacks the strength that matches international standards. The extremely humid environment in the state has been identified as an impediment in rearing bivoltine silkworms in the state.
Basically, bivoltine silkworms are from temperate regions and if they are to be raised under rigorous tropical conditions, appropriate modifications and observance of certain conditions is necessary.
The process of rearing silkworms till production of yarn is under the Sericulture Directorate under the aegis of Agriculture department while preparation of the fabric and finally to dress material is a part of the Textiles department. Hence, the partnership of the two departments was required.
Chief Secretary Manoj Pant recently held a meeting involving the Agriculture and MSME department recently and stressed on greater convergence between the two departments for improving the quality and quantity of local silk yarn mostly by shifting from the traditional, often hand-operated, method of silk reeling so that the handloom weavers’ livelihood is enhanced and more employment can be generated in this sector with the prospect of greater price for their produce. Senior government officials from the Directorate of Textiles, Sericulture Directorate and Tamralipta Spinning Mill have been handed over the responsibility for taking this project forward.
Interestingly, Tantuja under the MSME department has already done an experiment with a combination of traditional Nistari on one side and bivoltine on the opposite in yarns for production of silk fabric and the results have been encouraging.
