India has nearly halved raw silk imports from China in the last five years with the goal to bring it down to zero level in less than a decade, a top official of Central Silk Board (CSB) said on Wednesday.

The dependence on China was to the extent of 10,000 tonnes annually five years ago and it had now been reduced to around 5,700 tonnes, CSB Member-Secretary Ishita Roy said.

“We want to bring it down to a level of zero. By 2022, we will bring it to zero (import of raw silk from China)”, she told reporters, in the presence of Chairman of city-headquartered CSB N S Bisse Gowda.

She attributed the reduction of imports to efforts of the Union Government through the CSB, cooperation of state governments and ensuring better price for farmers and better deal for reelers and those involved in the value chain.

Gowda said India produced raw silk of 23,060 tonnes in 2011-12 (18,395 tonnes of mulberry silk and 4,835 tonnes of vanya silks), and CSB officials said the figure would touch at least 24,000 tonnes in the current fiscal.

In 2011-12, the country’s silk exports were to the tune of Rs 2,523 crore. Roy said the exports dropped sharply in the first nine months of the current fiscal, owing largely to down-turn in India’s main markets of the US and Western Europe but shipments were looking up impressively in the last two months.

Indian exporters had now diversified into “stable geographies”, particularly Scandinavian countries, the UAE and South Africa, she added.

Gowda said an additional area of 59,000 hectare of mulberry is proposed to be raised during the 12th plan period.

“The raw silk production target (annually during the 12th plan) is around 32,000 tonnes which include 5,000 tonnes of superior quality raw silk and 6,000 tonnes of improved gradable cross breed mulberry silk (2A/3A grade) which caters to the need of silk power-looms and silk mills”, he said.

The target fixed for annual Vanya silk production is 9,000 tonnes (annually) during 12th plan, Gowda added.

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