Which Indian State is the Largest Producer of Silk?

Map of India Highlighting the Largest Silk Producing State
Map of India depicting the largest silk producing state in the country
Map of India Highlighting the Largest Silk Producing State
Map of India depicting the largest silk producing state in the country

The state of Karnataka is the largest producer of silk in India.

Karnataka produces an average of around 8,200 metric tonnes of silk every year, which is about one-third of the total silk production in India. In 2018-19, Karnataka had produced 11,592 metric tonnes of silk, which is about one-third of the Indian silk production. Mysuru and North Bengaluru in Karnataka are famous for their silks and are called the “Silk City” as they majorly contribute to the silk production in India.

India, being the second-largest producer of silk after China, produces all the four varieties of silk – Mulberry, Muga, Tasar (Tropical Tasar and Oak Tasar), and Eri. Among the four varieties of silk produced in 2018-19 in India, Mulberry accounts for 71.46% (25,345 MT), Tasar 8.40% (2,981 MT), Eri 19.48% (6,910 MT), Muga 0.66% (233 MT) of the total raw silk production of 35,469 MT.

The production of silk depends on various factors like the weather conditions, land available to cultivate Mulberry plants, and breeding of around 10,000 silkworms in one-acre of land, for better yield. The water available for the rearing of silkworms should be soft, free from iron, and alkaline salts.

The sericulture is concentrated in the Mysuru, Kolar, Ramnagara, Bengaluru Rural, Chikkaballapura, and Kolar districts of Karnataka. The districts of Kolar and Chikkaballapura accounted for the second and third largest areas under Mulberry respectively, under both rainfed and irrigation conditions. The silk-producing states employed 9.17 million persons in 2018-19, which is a significant increase in employment generation.

As sericulture is a state subject, the Government of Karnataka has launched intensive programmes like Karnataka Sericulture Project with assistance from the World Bank. The motive behind this initiative was to expand the silk production base and to provide a sound infrastructure to the silk industry. Recently, the Central Silk Board is planning to increase the area of sericulture to the non-sericulture zone in North Karnataka due to the increasing global demand for silk. It will focus on expanding the Mulberry cultivation in the state. This, in turn, will make India self-reliant, and there will not be any need to import any silk from China.

Related Map:

Map of Karnataka
Karnataka Map