RAJSHAHI, Oct 27: In the last one decade ,silk production decreased in the district due to corruption and irregularities.
Over the decade, different projects of Tk 144 crore were taken to expand the silk sector. In paper, 100 per cent implementation of these projects was shown. But the production of silk remains decreasing.
According to sources in the silk industry, due to lack of government patronisation, flaws in government policy, fund mismanagement and misuse, corruption of sericulture board officials, nepotism, apathy and wrong plan, the silk industry has been on the verge of collapse.
According to date of Bangladesh Sericulture Development Board (BSDB), in 2008 for the expansion and development of the silk sector , projects of Tk 194 crore were adopted; of these, projects of Tk 144 crore have been implemented; at present, the projects of Tk 49.73 crore are being implemented under the Phase-2; and more than 46 per cent works have been completed.
This season the annual demand of silk yarn in Bangladesh is 400 metric tons (mt); of this, about 90 per cent is imported from abroad as raw materials.
In 2023-24 financial year, BSDB produced 1,134 kg or 1.13 mt of silk yarn from 149 mt cocoons. In 2014-15 financial year, 1,229 kg of silk yarn was produced from 1.23 mt cocoons.
A three-year project of the silk industry began in July, 2021. It was supposed to be completed by June, this year. The silk production was targeted at 55mt from 782 mt cocoons. But the production was only 1.13mt.
According to BSDB Report- 2023-24 financial year, lands of farming mulberry leaves decreased to 417 bigha from 450 bigha in 2014-15 financial year.
President of Bangladesh Sericulture Industry Owners Association Liakat Ali blamed financial mismanagement and misuse for that decrease.
Project fund was spent for no output, he added.
He further said, out of 76 private silk factories belonging to BSCIC-Rajshahi, 70 ones were closed down due to silk yarn crisis.
There is a possibility of increasing silk production to over 450 mt in the country if necessary support is provided, he said again.
Ahmed Shafi Uddin, president of Sujan-Rajshahi, said, "Our neighbouring countries are going ahead with silk industry. Why we are lagging behind?"
Mohammad Emdadul Bari, director (admin-expansion) of BSDB, passed the blame of the decrease in silk production on manpower shortage.
"We provide necessary training and assistance. But after becoming financially benefitted, most of them become discouraged about cultivating mulberry leaves."
"Now we are planning to include medium-level farmers in addition to poor and marginal ones," he added.
A former deputy chief account of the BSDB Md Kamruzzaman blamed officials' corruption, irregularities and apathy for the fall in the silk production.
Of the BSDB's annual report, 90 per cent information is fake, he added.
Professor Aminujjaman Saleh Reza of Zoology Department of Rajshahi University said, due to flawed policy of the government, the silk industry has been at the verge of destruction.
"We are not trying to revive this industry," he maintained.
