Mizoram Has Potential to Emerge as National Leader in Muga Silk Production: Union Minister

Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh on Monday said Mizoram has the potential to emerge as a national leader in Muga silk production, while highlighting the Centre’s efforts to strengthen the sericulture sector in the state. During his two-day visit to Mizoram, Singh visited the Sericulture Training Institute (STI) at Zemabawk in Aizawl and inspected the silk reeling factory on the campus. Addressing farmers and weavers at a function held at the institute, the Union minister said his visit was aimed at building stronger engagement with farmers and understanding ground realities beyond official interactions. He highlighted that Mizoram is the only state in the Northeast producing all four major silk varieties — Muga, Eri, Mulberry and Tasar. Singh said efforts were underway to transform Mizoram into a leading Muga silk-producing state and added that substantial financial assistance had been provided under the Silk Samagra 2.0 scheme. Officials said Mizoram received Rs 59.74 crore under the scheme between 2021-22 and January 2026 to strengthen silk production infrastructure and related activities. The Union minister also proposed cluster-based farming to boost production efficiency. He suggested that Lunglei, Champhai, Saitual and Siaha districts could be developed as dedicated Muga-producing districts, while other districts could focus on different silk varieties. He said the Central Silk Board would extend support to such cluster-based initiatives to accelerate farmers’ growth and improve productivity. According to Singh, Mizoram’s climate and soil conditions are highly favourable for sericulture, which has recorded an annual growth rate of around 5.5 to 6 per cent in recent years. He said more than 6,000 farmers and nearly 19,000 people across all 11 districts of the state depend on sericulture as their primary source of livelihood. The minister also called for structured competition among farmers, introduction of performance benchmarks and incentives for top performers to improve productivity and innovation in the sector. Singh further indicated plans to connect local weavers with institutions such as the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) to improve design development, branding and market access. State Sericulture Minister Lalthansanga, who accompanied Singh during the visit, stressed the need for continued central support and infrastructure development for the sericulture sector in Mizoram. He said a processing unit had already been established under Silk Samagra 2.0 and noted that cocoons produced in the state were being marketed outside Mizoram. Lalthansanga also said sericulture remained one of the priority sectors under the state government’s flagship Bana Kaih, or Handholding, scheme.