'India is second largest silk producer'

Visakhapatnam: India is the second largest producer of silk in the world with an annual silk production of 35,469 MT and focusing more on application-oriented research to transform Indian sericulture particularly to achieve excellence, said Central Sericulture Research and Training Institute (CSRTI) director Babulal here on Thursday.

Addressing the participants in an international e-conference on 'Sericulture Molecules to Materials' organised by GITAM Deemed to be University Seri biotechnology lab, he mentioned that India is the only country producing all the five kinds of silk namely, mulberry, eri, muga, tropical tussar and temperate tussar. The director said that mulberry silk contributes three-fourths of the total silk production in India. He informed that CSRTI has developed technologies suitable for the needs of mulberry sericulture farmers in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. The organising secretary M Anitha informed about the research activities of GITAM Seri biotechnology lab for enhanced silk production, improved silk quality and helped in growth of the larvae.

Pro vice-chancellor Jayasankar Variyar, Science courses dean A Subrahmanyam emphasised the need to develop new technologies and materials with silk. Stanford University School of Medicine Advanced Drug Delivery and Regenerative Biomaterials Laboratory Director Prof Jayakumar Rajadass, Central Tasar Research and Training Institute (Jharkhand) scientist JP Pandey, among others spoke.