The Central Silk Board (CSB) assistant director, Shankar Kotrannavar says a new initiatives is being planned to promote silk. The Board is in working towards introducing new technology to produce Iktat saris using pure silk spun yarn and unique varieties of luxury apparel by exploring the untapped potential of mulberry silk. The Board is also working towards commercialising the technology of knitting fabric using raw mulberry silk produced through automatic reeling machine.

The technology of producing double Iktat saris using silk spurn yarn would be introduced in Patola textile cluster of Gujarat where manufacturers are using raw silk and cotton to weave the Iktat saris. To produce winter garments using mulberry silk yarn, the board will use a new technology through a collaborative effort with the technocrats of the NIFT-TEA Knitwear Fashion Institute in Tirupur. Till now, major concentration has been on winter wear using eri silk.

The board is actively working towards promoting technologies for making silk textiles by ensuring entrepreneurs realise the importance of cost-effective production. Negating sceptics, Shankar says, people are sceptical about producing silk textiles since it is seen as a high-end consumer product. But drastic cost cutting at production level is possible. A cost effective solution suggested by the Board is to blend silk with other natural fibres such as modal, cotton, bamboo and linen.

A double benefit solution was to use double layer fabrics where the outer layer will be a thin layer of silk and inner layer will be made using cotton thus giving the customer the luxury of silk and comfort of cotton. Shankar further reveals the board is also trying to commercialise silk denim and silk knits developed recently post R&D.