A total of 1,701 tons of raw silk cocoons were produced in spring and autumn, which marks a 13-year record high, according to the head of Iran Sericulture Expansion Center affiliated with the Agriculture Ministry.
“The output will supply 52% of the carpet and textile industry’s demand for silk. The share stood at 48% last year, up from 42% in the year before,” Adel Sarvi Zargar was also quoted as saying by IRNA.
Local production met only 28% of the domestic demand in the fiscal 2018-19.
The official noted that average yield from each box of silkworm eggs is currently 37 kilograms while top farmers produce 55 kg to 60 kg per box.
“More than 46,000 boxes of silkworm eggs were distributed among local silk farmers across the country. The distribution started on March 25 in warmer provinces and gradually continued to include other provinces as the weather grew warmer. Next year, we will be providing farmers with 50,000 boxes,” he added.
Each box weighs around 13 grams and contains about 24,000 eggs, each of which will evolve into a silkworm, if the rearing process is carried out properly.
Zargar noted that autumn sericulture took place this year after a 23-year hiatus in six provinces, namely Gilan, Mazandaran, Golestan, Khorasan Razavi, North Khorasan and Tehran.
“Domestic demand stands at 540-550 tons per year. To become self-sufficient, we need to increase annual raw silk cocoon production to around 3,500 tons,” he added.
The official noted that about 25,000 households were engaged in sericulture two years ago but due to reasonable prices of raw silk cocoons, more people are showing interest as the figure increased to 29,000 households in the last fiscal year.
A total of 46,502 boxes of silkworm eggs were distributed among local silk farmers last year (up 17% YOY), from which a total of 1,678 tons of raw silk cocoons were produced, registering a 21% rise compared with the year before, which broke a 12-year record.
Guaranteed purchase prices for raw silk cocoon increased by 56% last year (March 2020-21) to reach 335,000 rials ($1.5) per kilogram, Mehr News Agency reported.
Gilan Province in northern Iran is the main hub for raw cocoon production, accounting for 32% of the country’s sericulture output. Khorasan Razavi, Golestan, North Khorasan and Mazandaran follow Gilan in a descending order.
According to Zargar, Iran is the world’s eighth biggest country in sericulture.
China, India, Uzbekistan, Thailand, Brazil, Vietnam and North Korea are the world's biggest silk producers.
The lion’s share of silk produced from domestic cocoons are used in the weaving of delicate hand-woven Persian rugs.
