The Hindu : Front Page : Cocoon price rise leaves weavers in a spot

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 11, 2006

Front Page

Front Page

Cocoon price rise leaves weavers in a spot

S. Ramesh

Silk Board wants Centre to act

SALEM: Increase in the domestic price of cocoon, imported silk yarn and the gap in the supply and demand of raw silk are the primary factors behind the sudden and steep rise in silk yarn price, which has badly hit the indigenous silk handloom weavers of the country, particularly in the districts of Salem, Erode, Kancheepuram and Thanjavur.

Negative impact

Talking on the sidelines at the Farmers Workshop here on Wednesday on the issue that has recently brought the weavers in hundreds onto the streets demanding an immediate ban on the price hike, the Chief Executive Officer and Member Secretary of the Central Silk Board (CSB), Bangalore, H. Basker, while agreeing to the fact that the hike had a negative impact on the weavers' livelihood, pointed out that the both the Ministries of Finance and Commerce and Industry had to decide on the issue. "However, we have reported this phenomenon of the price rise to the Government for appropriate action."

Mr. Basker further said that the sericulture farmers had started producing quality cocoons as they were adopting modern technologies. "The silk yarn reelers are also paying high prices for these quality cocoons. This has had its impact on the price of raw silk too."

The price of the imported silk yarn had also shot up. "In the last one year, the imported silk yarn price saw up to 100 per cent increase from $15 a kg to $30. This factor shows that the cost of raw silk production in China, a major exporter, has increased," he said.

India was importing around 9,000 to 10,000 tonnes of silk yarn to fill the gap in supply and demand of raw silk, he said. To a query, he said the CSB had developed bivoltine silkworm varieties that could be adapted to climatic conditions.

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