Pakistan eyes silk industry to cut imports, boost jobs

LAHORE: Pakistan could save a major portion of its annual Rs67 billion silk import bill and create jobs for hundreds of thousands of rural women by producing the fabric locally, experts said on Thursday.

Pakistan is one of the world’s largest importers of silk, mainly from China, for its textile industry, which accounts for about 60 percent of its exports. But the country has the potential to produce its own silk by tapping into its abundant mulberry trees, which are the main source of food for silkworms.

Mulberry trees are widely grown in rural areas of Pakistan, especially in Punjab province, where they are used for making baskets, jams, and teas. They can also provide silk for the textile sector if their leaves are fed to silkworms, which spin cocoons that can be harvested and processed into silk threads.

Apart from wide presence in Punjab, they can also be found in KPK, Abottabad, and GB. Thanks to the hot climate, the growth period of mulberry trees in Pakistan is about 10 months, which means its leaves can be harvested several times within one year.

“Mulberry is a fruit tree with no part going waste,” said Moazzam Ghurki, president of the Pakistan China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI), at a think tank session held at the PCJCCI secretariat in Lahore.

Its leaves can be used as feed for silkworms, which provide silk for the textile sector; its branches are used to make different types of baskets that can be seen in almost every rural house of Pakistan. Its fruit is edible and can be processed into mulberry juice, powder, jam, vinegar, and tea."

Fang Yulong, senior vice president of PCJCCI, said that China, the world’s largest producer and consumer of silk, could provide technical assistance to Pakistan in developing its silk industry. "Most of our techniques can also be applied in Pakistan as long as local climate fits," Yulong said.

He said several improved mulberry varieties selected and bred by the research institute has proved to increase mulberry leaf output by around 30 percent. Up to now, two new series, namely, Nongsang and Qiangsang, have covered over 70 percent of China’s grafted mulberry fields. They were also provided to farmers, contributing to the country’s fight against poverty.

Yulong said that mulberry saplings have been exported to Uzbekistan. "By providing technical support such as breed selection and planting guidance to the Chinese companies cooperating with Uzbek government, this can also be applied in Pakistan as long as water resources suffice. For areas with inadequate water, we can grow seedlings in China when they are vulnerable and then graft them to Pakistan."