Gov't Buys Raw Silk Cocoon at 56% Higher Prices

Guaranteed purchase prices for raw silk cocoon have increased by 56% this year (started March 20) to reach 335,000 rials (around $2) per kilogram, according to the head of Iran Sericulture Expansion Center affiliated with the Agriculture Ministry.
“This year, we have distributed 47,000 boxes of silkworm cocoons and a total of 187,000 mulberry saplings among farmers across all provinces in the country,” Adil Sarvi was quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency.
Each box weighs around 13 grams and contains about 24,000 eggs, each of which will evolve into a silkworm, if the rearing processes are carried out properly.
According to the official, a total of 39,800 boxes of silkworm eggs were distributed among local silk farmers last year, from which 1,385 tons of raw silk cocoons were produced, marking a 10-year record high.
Gilan Province in northern Iran is the country’s main hub for raw cocoon production, accounting for 32% of Iran's sericulture output. Khorasan Razavi, Golestan, North Khorasan and Mazandaran follow Gilan in a descending order.
“About 25,000 households in Iran are currently active in sericulture. The number stood at 17,500 last year,” Sarvi was quoted as saying by IRNA.
“More than 42% of the country’s carpet and textile industry demand for silk were supplied by domestic production last year, up from 28% the year before.”
Sarvi noted that at present, Iran is the world’s eighth biggest country in sericulture. 
The world's biggest silk producers are China, India, Uzbekistan, Thailand, Brazil, Vietnam and North Korea.
Ali Asghar Dadashpour, the former head of Iran Sericulture Expansion Center, told Financial Tribune in an interview that 90% of the silk produced from domestic cocoons are used in the weaving of delicate hand-woven Persian rugs.