The New Indian Express ·
Palakkad a key yarn in India’s silk spool
SRINAGAR: Palakkad is a vital chapter in the “yarn” of India’s thriving sericulture sector. Renowned for its high-quality silkworm seeds, it is among the 218 districts identified to help break the stranglehold that China has on the global silk market. Seeds from the Silkworm Seed Production Centre in Palakkad are prime raw material driving the efforts of the Central Sericultural Research & Training Institute (CSR&TI) in Pampore, Jammu and Kashmir, in developing new variants of silkworms.
According to Dr Irfan Illahi, a scientist at CSR&TI, Keralam has the climate and soil conditions suited for sericulture. “The 218 districts have been selected under the ‘Mera Desh, Mera Resham’ scheme to deliver advanced silkworm rearing and silk-reeling technologies. It helps local farmers optimise production quality, improve infrastructure, and implement scientific crop protection and disease management,” he said.
Pointing to the success of sericulture in J&K, where more than 29,000 farmers are engaged in silkworm rearing, he said, “The same formula of alternate cropping can be employed by farmers in Keralam, too. For J&K’s farmers, sericulture is a secondary crop. Their main crop is apple, and during the time required for the fruit to mature they engage in sericulture. Most of them earn anywhere between Rs 1 to 2 lakh annually based on the quantity produced.”
Keralam produced 18 metric tonnes of raw silk in the 2025-26 financial year, according to available data, said Syam S, another scientist.
Palakkad was chosen under the ‘Mera Desh, Mera Resham’ initiative following a decline in the total acreage of mulberry cultivation — from 144 hectares in 2019-20 to the current 90 hectares. “Scientists have carried out surveys and plans are being drawn up to increase the acreage,” Syam said.
Besides Palakkad, pockets of Wayanad, Idukki and Thrissur are important centres of silk farming, Irfan said.