The target of raw silk production has not been achieved since the last four fiscals. As per the information shared by the Minister of State for Textiles Darshana Jardosh in Lok Sabha, from 2018-19 to 2020-21 and even in current fiscal (till December), the target is lacking.
| Year | Raw silk Production (MT) | |
| Target | Achievement | |
| 2018-19 | 35,960 | 35,468 |
| 2019-20 | 38,530 | 35,820 |
| 2020-21 | 39,000 | 33,770 |
| 2021-22 (*Till Dec-2021) | 39,500 | 26,587* |
At the same time, foreign exchange generated through exports was also going down from 2018-19 to 2020-21, though 2021-22 has seen some upward trends (see the table below).
| Year | Exports (mn, US$) |
| 2018-19 | 291 |
| 2019-20 | 247 |
| 2020-21 | 198 |
| 2021-22 (Till Dec-2021) | 211 |
The Minister also said that silk industry is one of the major employment-generating sectors of the country. However, the employment generation data is not maintained centrally.
Sericulture is an agriculture-based industry playing a vital role in the development of the rural economy of our country. High employment potential, high returns, regular income at fixed intervals, women-friendly& eco-friendly nature of the occupation, are some of the salient features of sericulture.
