Present status and prospects of sericulture in the state of Odisha

Priti Pragyan Ray; Abhijit Mohapatra

Present status and prospects of sericulture in the state of Odisha

Authors
Priti Pragyan Ray, Abhijit Mohapatra

Abstract
There are more over 40 countries in the world that practice sericulture and among them, India occupies the second position after China in the production of raw silk. India is unique in the production of silk being the only country in the world that produces 5 different types of silks namely Mulberry, Tropical Tasar, Oak Tasar, Eri, and Muga. India has an 18 percent share in global raw silk production and it is also a great consumer of raw silk and silk fabrics. The high-cost labor, heavy industrialization, and the climatic restrictions imposed on the mulberry leaves’ availability are responsible for the decline in the sericulture in temperate countries like Japan, South Korea, the USSR, etc., which in turn, allows the yield of only two crops per annum. However, in India, the prevailing tropical climate helps in practicing sericulture throughout the year and also yields a stream of about 4– 6 crops per annum. In Odisha, there are about 15,000 traditional families who are involved in silk rearing, and about one lakh people actively practice sericulture which provides indirect employment to an equal number of reelers, spinners, and weavers.

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