35 Research Extension Centres To Assist Sericulture Farmers-Know State-wise Details

The Indian government has taken several initiatives to promote sericulture in the country. The Central Silk Board is the nodal agency responsible for the development of sericulture and the promotion of the silk industry in India.

Sericulture is the practice of rearing silk-producing insects, mainly silkworms, for the production of silk. India is one of the largest producers of silk in the world and has a rich history of sericulture that dates back to ancient times. Sericulture is mainly concentrated in the states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Jammu, and Kashmir, and the north-eastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, and Manipur.

India produces four major types of silk - mulberry, tasar, eri, and muga. Mulberry silk is the most widely produced and accounts for about 80% of the total silk production in the country. Sericulture provides employment to a large number of people, particularly in rural areas. It is estimated that over 7 million people are engaged in various activities related to sericulture in India.

The Indian government has taken several initiatives to promote sericulture in the country. The Central Silk Board is the nodal agency responsible for the development of sericulture and the promotion of the silk industry in India.

35 Research Extension Centres (RECs) are functioning under research institutes of Central Silk Board (CSB) to assist sericulture farmers by disseminating technology & innovations of CSB with the help of R&D institutes at the field level with the support of state sericulture departments. The state-wise details of RECs functioning under CSB are given below:

S.No.	Name of the State	No. of RECs
1	Karnataka	3
2	Andhra Pradesh	3
3	Telangana	1
4	Tamil Nadu	4
5	Maharashtra	4
6	Madhya Pradesh	1
7	Himachal Pradesh	2
8	J&K UT	1
9	UP	2
10	West Bengal	3
11	Chhattisgarh	1
12	Jharkhand	1
13	Assam	2
14	Sikkim	1
15	Tripura	1
16	Meghalaya	1
17	Nagaland	1
18	Mizoram	1
19	Arunachal Pradesh	1
20	Manipur	1

The financial assistance provided to states during each of the last three years and current year towards implementation of beneficiary components including pre-cocoon related components meant for sericulture farmers is as below:

Financial Year	Financial Assistance Provided To States (Rs. in Crores)
2019-20	144.81
2020-21	147.46
2021-22	297.38
2022-23	248.30
Total	837.95