Amidst the surging demand for Mysore Silk saris, Minister for Sericulture and Animal Husbandry K. Venkatesh on Wednesday told the officials of the Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation (KSIC) to double the production of the saris and other silk products.
In his first visit to the factory on Manandavadi Road after becoming the Minister, Mr. Venkatesh went through the sari weaving process and interacted with the factory staff on the steps to be taken for increasing the production.
The Mysuru Silk sari, silk panche and shalya are in big demand and the production of these products needs to be doubled, the Minister said, after the visit.
Mr. Venkatesh said the factory management has been told to increase the procurement of raw materials and also install new machinery for increasing the production in phases.
KSIC Managing Director V.V. Jyotsna said 4.5 lakh metres of Mysuru Silk sarees was manufactured in a span of 10 years between 2012 and 2022. However, in a span of one year, that is between 2022 and 2023, the production saw a huge jump as 5.5 lakh metres of saris was manufactured, increasing the factory’s revenue by ₹200 crore to ₹240 crore.
Among the silk saris, the Mysuru silk sari is the market leader and saris manufactured in one week are sold in one day. In view of the huge demand for the saris, the Minister has directed us to increase the production, she said.
The Minister said there is no proposal to open the new KSIC outlets as the city alone has six outlets including the one on the factory premises.
Notices had been served on those who were misrepresenting the Mysore Silk saris, and selling saris in the name of KSIC.
The KSIC’s outlet near the Mysore zoo will be open in the next 10 days.
On the drop in the prices of cocoons from ₹650 to ₹350, the Minister said the prices have improved now and have reached ₹420 a kg. In the days ahead, the prices will go up further. Therefore, there is no need to panic as there are expectations of further rise in the prices. The KSIC will procure cocoons from the farmers, whose produce is not rejected irrespective of the quality, he added.
As an alternative to tobacco, sericulture is being promoted among the farmers in Hunsur and Periyapatna areas and awareness in this regard was being carried out, he said.
Mr. Venkatesh said no decision has been taken on manufacturing budget silk saris ahead of the Sri Varamahalakshmi festival. “I will discuss with the officials. I will seek information on this from the factory staff and explore whether the production can be initiated.”
