J&K has created a niche for producing quality silk with more than 30000 families associated with this industry as per reports.
A Kashmiri man holds a Mulberry leaf fed upon by larvae (caterpillar) of a silkmoth at a government silk farm on Srinagar outskirts on Wednesday August 3, 2022.Mubashir Khan for Greater Kashmir
The process of silk production begins with the incubation of eggs laid by female of silkmoth scientifically known as 'Bombyx mori' in a controlled environment. Mubashir Khan for Greater Kashmir
The eggs hatch into larvae of silkworm known as caterpillar. Mubashir Khan for Greater Kashmir
The caterpillar feeds upon mulberry leaves for six weeks to its full potential and stops eating the leaves to form a cocoon. Mubashir Khan for Greater Kashmir
A caterpillar takes 3-8 days to spin the silk cocoon measuring about 100 meters on an average. Mubashir Khan for Greater Kashmir
The silk is then extracted through industry processing to weave it into silk fabric. Mubashir Khan for Greater Kashmir
Annually about 900 MT of cocoon is produced in the region generating an income of about Rs 19 Crore with annual raw silk production of 138 MT. Mubashir Khan for Greater Kashmir
J&K has created a niche for producing quality silk with more than 30000 families associated with this industry as per reports. Mubashir Khan for Greater Kashmir
