Develop land proposed for Bidadi township as special mulberry zone to boost silk production: MP Dr. C.N. Manjunath

Giving a new dimension to farmers’ resistance to acquisition of their lands for Bidadi Township project, Bengaluru Rural MP Dr. C. N. Manjunath on Friday (October 24, 2025) suggested that this area known for robust sericulture farming should be declared as Special Mulberry Zone with measures to further boost silk production.

Dr. Manjunath made the suggestion at the golden jubilee celebrations of the Central Silk Board – National Silkworm Seed Organisation (CSB-NSSO) in Bengaluru that was attended by policy makers, bureaucrats in the country’s sericulture sector, scientists and other stakeholders including farmers.

Woven into Indian traditions

Pointing out that that silk had a similar kind of craze and value like gold as it was an integral part of Indian traditions, Dr. Manjunath said there was a dire need to promote sericulture farming in a big way among farmers to ensure sustainable incomes. Sericulture farming with a production cycle of less than a month had turned out to be a regular income-yielding agricultural operation for farmers in these areas, he said.  

The authorities should further promote sericulture farming and take measures to double the production in the interest of farmers’ sustainability and to bridge the gap between production and demand by setting up special mulberry zones and linking them as silk corridor, he said.

He referred to Bidadi, Ramanagara, Anekal and other places that have excelled in sericulture as ideal locations for setting up the special zones and silk corridor.

‘Silk Valley of India’

To tide over the shortage of space for township development, he suggested that the government should adopt the Chinese development model of relying on vertical development.

Pointing out that rapid silk production was taking place in places near Bengaluru, Dr. Manjunath remarked that: “Bengaluru is not just the Silicon Valley of India, but also the Silk Valley of India.”

He also suggested the need to set up spun silk units to produce byproducts from nearly 6,400 tonnes of silk waste which is being generated every year in the country.

Boosting production

Union Minister of State for MSMEs Shobha Karandlaje, who released the commemorative postal cover brought on the occasion, stated that despite best efforts the country was able to touch only 41,000 tonnes of silk production thought the actual requirement was around 45,000 tonnes.

Pointing out that the country was importing the remaining quantum of silk from China, she called upon scientists and farmers to take measures for boosting silk production with a focus on quality.

Observing that there was a worldwide demand for silk, particularly Indian silk due to its quality, she said, “In fact, we see women quarrelling to buy Mysuru Silk sarees due to short supply and even the women MPs from other areas are mesmerized over the quality of these sarees.”