Imphal, November 14: The Union Ministry of Commerce and Industries is ready to set aside a sum of Rs 19 crores to establish an international silk market in Imphal to promote the Sericulture Project which is being funded by the Japanese Bank for International Corporation.

Disclosing this to The Sangai Express an official from the Sericulture Department said that the international silk market to be funded by the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industries will set up to complement the Sericulture Project.

According to a survey conducted by the ministry of Textile, Manipur is leading the other North East States in the production of silk from mulberry and second in the production of silk from Eri.

When The Sangai Express contacted the Principal Secretary (Sericulture) PC Lawmkunga today, the officer said that the Centre has agreed to extend a subsidy of 90 pc to export handloom and horticulture goods by air from the North East States.

Sericulture is also included in the list of the items that can be subsidised while being transported, he added.

The silk produced in Manipur is the Bivoltine category and its quality is at par with the silk produced in China, said Lawmkunga and added that it is of superior quality to the type produced at Mysore.

At the moment, India produces 17,000 MT of silk annually but the demand is 26,000 MT, he informed.

Manipur has the potential to produce 260 MT of silk annually.

The Sericulture Project was taken up in 1998 but due to some technical difficulties it was suspended for some time.

Now the Project has been revived and the first phase is expected to be finalised by 2008.Taken up at an estimated cost of Rs 134.52 crores, 73 pc of the Project has been completed and out of the 1700 hectares of land needed to plant mulberry trees, 1610 hectares of land have been covered.

One thousand Field Operating Units are to be set up and out of this 941 units have been set up.

Around 100 healthy larvae can produce anything between 60 to 80 kgs of silk, said the Principal Secretary and added that the target for mulberry silk is set at 85 to 150 MT and Eri silk at 160-165 MT.

The project has also set a target to provide self employment to 30,730 people.

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