Textiles Ministry Plans To Use Castor Plant For Silk Production To Create Jobs, Reduce Imports

(MENAFN- Live Mint) New Delhi: The Union textiles Ministry has proposed using castor leaves to produce silk, with the aim of boosting silk production in Bihar and creating employment opportunities, two people directly involved in the process said. Mulberry leaves are traditionally used to produce this costly fabric.

The ministry is working on a plan for a pilot project in Bihar, beginning with the district of Bhagalpur, a major castor-producing area. Other districts in Bihar that produce significant amounts of castor include Purnea, Munger, Saran, Champaran, and Muzaffarpur. The pilot may be extended to other parts of the country to make castor an alternative for silk production.

The silk produced from castor leaves is known as eri silk. It is soft, warm and durable, with a wool-like texture, making it suitable for winter wear.

“The concept note is being prepared, and the project may start within the first 125 days of the newly formed NDA government,” one of the people said.

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"The insect samia ricini (will now be grown on the leaves of castor plants, which are known for producing seeds used in medicine and lubricants, and stems used for making thatched roofs,” this person added.

“Diversifying the types of silk produced helps reduce dependence on a single source. Using castor leaves for eri silk production will provide an alternative to the more common mulberry silk," the second person said.

“Besides, castor plants are versatile and have multiple uses beyond silk production. They produce seeds used in medicine and lubricants and stems used for making thatched roofs. This versatility can provide additional economic benefits to farmers," this person said.

This initiative is also aimed at increasing silk production to reduce the country's dependence on imports. India imports silks from Vietnam, China, Myanmar, Brazil and Hong Kong, among others.

"India's silk imports have consistently exceeded its exports over the years. India imports silk mainly to meet the demand for high-quality raw and finished silk products as local production is not enough to satisfy the needs of the textile and fashion industries,” said Ajay Srivastava, who heads Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI).

According to commerce ministry data, export values have fluctuated from $83.95 million in FY20 to $79.21 million in FY21, $116.46 million in FY22, $101.22 million in FY23, and $124.05 million in FY24.

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Imports followed a similar trend, fromm $210.41 million in FY20, to $99.26 million in FY21, $147.96 million in FY22, $271.35 million in FY23, and $208.54 million in FY24, the data showed.

The trade deficit, which represents the difference between exports and imports, increased as imports rose. It was $126.46 million in FY20, $20.05 million in FY21, $31.5 million in FY22, $170.13 million in FY23, and $84.49 million in FY24.

V Balasubramanian, president of the Silk Association of India (SAI), said, "Actually, there has not been any successful story of producing silk from castor or any other leaves."

“The world's silk has traditionally been dominated by mulberry because its leaves have a higher protein content than others. This makes mulberry silk highly sought-after. But if mulberry leaves are not available, silkworms can be raised on alternative leaves,” said Balasubramanian.

“Since land is very costly, I don't think farmers would like to diversify their crops. Castor is grown in India primarily as a border crop to protect the main crops from cattle, rather than for extensive agricultural production,” Balasubramanian said.

Queries sent to the textiles ministry remained unanswered.

India is the world's second-largest producer of silk. The sericulture (silk production) industry employs about 9.2 million people in rural and semi-urban areas (as of FY23) and is a major contributor to foreign-exchange earnings.

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Major silk-producing states include Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Karnataka contributed 32.3% of India's total silk production in FY23, followed by Andhra Pradesh with 26.0%.

Sericulture activities are spread across 52,360 villages, and India produces four types of natural silks – mulberry, eri, tasar, and muga. These are used to make garments, fabrics, carpets, shawls, scarves, cushion covers and various accessories.

In FY23, India produced 36,582 metric tonnes (MT) of silk. During FY22 the country produced a total of 34,903 MT, a 3.4% increase from 33,770 MT in FY21.

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