Bangladesh seeks revival of silk industry

Bangladesh's silk industry is probably the oldest on the globe, with farmers in the northwestern border district of Rajshahi making probably the most sought-after silk yarns. They specialise in high-quality mulberry silk -- widely known as Bengal or Rajshahi silk -- made by the larvae of moths fed on clean mulberry leaves and utilized for luxurious items of clothing.

After around 40 days, the worms learn to form cocoons -- by spitting out saliva around their bodies -- which are then placed in bamboo frames before staying harvested. The cocoons will be then boiled in warm water, killing the worm inside and separating the ultra-skinny threads, which are coiled on big bobbins and hung out to dry out.

"Each cocoon contains around 500 metres (1,600 legs) of thin thread," said Akhi Akter, a good supervisor at the Sopura silk factory, one of the country's important silk producers. The dried threads will be sent to a mill where personnel join several threads together and place them onto looms to make cloth.

This material is then boiled, washed and waxed before becoming sent to tailors to create mostly sarees, tunics and "dupattas", a sort of shawl-cum-scarf. Bangladesh's silk sector was struck hard in the 1990s and 2000s with what officials named faulty government coverage which flooded the marketplace with cheap Chinese silk imports.

But now the united states has initiated a multi-million-dollar intend to revitalise the industry and create thousands of new jobs. "Sericulture has a enormous prospect if we could nurture it effectively," Abdul Hakim, the head of the country's Silk Expansion Board, told AFP.

He said the quantity of silk farmers has plummeted to round 2,000 from 10,000 just a few years ago. "Our plan is to generate Chinese experts and teach our farmers. It'll increase our silk production," he explained. With the booming of the Bangladesh market -- it grew over 7.5 percent this past year -- demand for Rajshahi silk has increased several fold, Akter stated.

An average top quality Rajshahi silk saree now markets for some 100 USD and superior silk items can choose over 250 USD in the neighborhood market. "You will find a huge potential export marketplace for our silk," she said. "We simply need to still do it."(AFP)