SUALKUCHI, Sept 30 � Hike in the prices of mulberry silk and tasar silk yarns has caused serious concern among the people of Sualkuchi, the largest silk village in Asia which is giving employment to a large number of local people as well as weavers from outside.
In the wake of the unprecedented price rise, the weavers, petty master weavers and master weavers are losing the purchasing capacity and as a consequence the number of looms have been decreasing and the poor loomless weavers who maintain their livelihood by winding silk yarns of the master weavers are becoming jobless.
On the other hand, the small master weavers and the master weavers who set up business by organising four to six looms now have become the weavers of their own looms. And as a result, a gloomy atmosphere prevails in the present economic climate of the silk village. At this juncture, people have found it very difficult to run their business and preserve the silk heritage of the State.
The situation worsened in January this year when the price of silk yarns went up to Rs 1,430 per kilogram which was Rs 330 higher than the price trend in the Bangalore market in 2009. In the aftermath of price rise at the Bangalore silk exchange, the warp yarns at Sualkuchi were sold at Rs 1,750 to Rs 1,850 per kilogram while weft yarns were sold at Rs 1,500 to Rs 1,570 per kg. The tasar yarns, which are essential raw materials of the silk industry, were sold at Rs 2,500 which was much higher than the rate in 2009. Again in April, the prices of warp yarns shot up to Rs 2,100-Rs 2,150 per kilogram and weft yarns were sold at Rs 1,700 to Rs 1,850. This rate remained constant till May. But in June, the price of warp yarns was hiked up to Rs 2,200 and weft yarns to Rs 1,900. The colour weft yarns used by the people went up to Rs 2,550 per kilogram. A large number of people including weavers and master weavers use colour weft yarns. So the prices of colour weft yarns have been skyrocketing and it has gone beyond the purchasing capacity of the weavers. The colour weft yarns, which were sold at Rs 2,550 per kg, were raised to Rs 2,670 on June 14 and after 20 days, the price was hiked up to Rs 2,800 and on August 2 the price of colour weft yarns went up to Rs 2,920. On August 31, the rate went up to Rs 3,000 and on September 23 it was once again raised to Rs 3,300 per kilogram.
On the other hand, the prices of warp yarns were raised to Rs 2,200 and it went up to Rs 2,400 in July and Rs 2,500 in August. The rate of warp yarns went up to Rs 2,550 per kilogram on September 23. The price of tasar yarn, which was Rs 2,500, has shot up to Rs 3,100-Rs 3,300 per kilogram at the present market at Sualkuchi.
The mulberry silk yarns are supplied to Sualkuchi from Bangalore and the tasar yarns are supplied from Bhagalpur in Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. The price of mulberry silk yarns in the Bangalore silk exchange was Rs 1,340 to Rs 1,840 in April and the prices of tasar warp and weft yarns in the Bhagalpur market were Rs 2,200 and Rs 1,850 in Chhattisgarh market. In comparison to the Bangalore Silk Exchange, the price trend at Sualkuchi is much higher while the price of tasar yarns is too much higher than the price trends at Bhagalpur, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. People alleged that the silk traders are making money by raising the prices in an unprecedented way.
Sources said that the price rise is due to decreasing mulberry silk yarn production in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The production went down because the new generations are not willing to rear silk cocoons. The farmers sold their plots to big companies to set up industries. The increase in silk prices is also due to export of silk yarns to foreign countries. Besides, China has cut down on exports of silk and tasar to India.
