Prospective silk industry
Ferdous Alam | Sunday, 27 July 2008
Bangladesh has a traditional natural silk based industry at Rajshahi. Rajshahi silk is well known in the country and saris and other products made out of it are coveted by users in the country as well as in foreign countries. But notwithstanding the great possibilities of this industry, it has remained in rather depressed conditions over the years. Experts are of the view that it can be a major money-spinner provided entrepreneurs take an interest in it and government realizes the merit of patronizing a local natural silk industry in every way.
The first thing in order would be to extend mulberry tree planting and rearing of silkworms in other areas, apart from Rajshahi. This is being done in a limited manner at present. But the full potential of a natural silk based industry would be realised only after natural silk production or sericulture is spread extensively over the whole country. Reportedly, the Bangladesh Sericulture Board (BSB) is implementing a sericulture extension project in Sylhet. This is welcome activity but it should replicate such projects in other districts of the country on a large scale to get the intended benefits out of the same.
Bangladesh presently is a tiny player indeed in the world silk industry although it possesses hospitable natural conditions for the establishment of a large silk industry with a strong export-oriented component. It has very suitable weather conditions for the growing of mulberry plants and the rearing of silkworms. The two conditions are basic requirements for the production of natural silk which has big demands in the markets of the developed countries and in Japan.
According to export assessment, Bangladesh can earn large amounts of foreign currencies by exporting both natural silk in large volumes and much more through value-addition by making apparels and other products out of the silk and exporting the same. The earnings from silk in that case can will then be favourably comparable to a few other export-oriented sectors of the country's economy. However, at the outset, some initial investments will have to be made in rearing quality silkworms and also care will have to be exercised to grow high quality mulberry plants to maximise production and ensure quality.
But everything must be guided under a policy framework. The government needs to adopt a 'silk policy' at the outset and all activities should be guided by it to deliver results in line with the policy. The BSB should much extend its pilot sericulture programmes all over the country. The programmes should seek to involve large scale participation of specially rural women in the production of raw silk under numerous cottage industry type of ventures. On the other hand, private entrepreneurs will have to be made interested to set up industries to use the silk to be produced. They entrepreneurs will need to be assisted in different ways from technical assistance to marketing information for export.
The first thing in order would be to extend mulberry tree planting and rearing of silkworms in other areas, apart from Rajshahi. This is being done in a limited manner at present. But the full potential of a natural silk based industry would be realised only after natural silk production or sericulture is spread extensively over the whole country. Reportedly, the Bangladesh Sericulture Board (BSB) is implementing a sericulture extension project in Sylhet. This is welcome activity but it should replicate such projects in other districts of the country on a large scale to get the intended benefits out of the same.
Bangladesh presently is a tiny player indeed in the world silk industry although it possesses hospitable natural conditions for the establishment of a large silk industry with a strong export-oriented component. It has very suitable weather conditions for the growing of mulberry plants and the rearing of silkworms. The two conditions are basic requirements for the production of natural silk which has big demands in the markets of the developed countries and in Japan.
According to export assessment, Bangladesh can earn large amounts of foreign currencies by exporting both natural silk in large volumes and much more through value-addition by making apparels and other products out of the silk and exporting the same. The earnings from silk in that case can will then be favourably comparable to a few other export-oriented sectors of the country's economy. However, at the outset, some initial investments will have to be made in rearing quality silkworms and also care will have to be exercised to grow high quality mulberry plants to maximise production and ensure quality.
But everything must be guided under a policy framework. The government needs to adopt a 'silk policy' at the outset and all activities should be guided by it to deliver results in line with the policy. The BSB should much extend its pilot sericulture programmes all over the country. The programmes should seek to involve large scale participation of specially rural women in the production of raw silk under numerous cottage industry type of ventures. On the other hand, private entrepreneurs will have to be made interested to set up industries to use the silk to be produced. They entrepreneurs will need to be assisted in different ways from technical assistance to marketing information for export.