No other fabric has fascinated man so continuously over centuries as silk. It is royal in its splendor, exotic and sensuous. An aura of luxury has always surrounded and still surrounds, cloths made of silk. No other fabric drapes more beautifully or flatters the body more than silk.

Sericulture:- Sericulture is an art of rearing silkworm for the production of cocoons which is the raw material for the production of silk. India has the unique distinction of being the only country producing all the five kinds of silk – Mulberry, Eri, Muga, Tropical Tasar and Temperate Tasar. But in Orissa, mostly mulberry silk is produced. The larva of mulberry silk moth, Bombyx mori, is a domesticated form which feeds on the leaves of Mulberry tree, Morus alba. The larva of mulberry silk moth grows for about 20-23 days feeding mulberry leaves. The fully matured larva spins to protect itself just before the pupa stage, a cocoon out of the most expensive and purest of threads, silk.

Sericulture Activities

Moriculture:- Cultivation of mulberry plants is referred to as Moriculture. It is an agricultural activity. In Orissa, mulberry cultivation is mainly taken up in irrigated condition. Flat, deep, fertile, well drained loamy and clay loamy with good moisture holding capacity soil is ideal for mulberry cultivation.

Silkworm Seed Production:- The silkworm seed production centers are referred to as grainages. The silkworm seed known as Disease Free Layings are prepared in their centers and supplied to the farmers for rearing. Both Government and private sector grainages are involved in this activity.

Silkworm Rearing:- Silkworm Rearing is considered to be an agro based cottage industry since it involves mulberry cultivation. Silkworms are reared for the production of “cocoons” which is the raw material for silk production. The farmers rear silkworms and produce cocoons. By marketing the cocoons the farmers earn money. It is ideally suited for the rural areas of Sericulture States. Silkworms are reared in well ventilated rearing shed following shoot rearing method.

Silk Reeling:- Extraction of silk filament from cocoons by employing a set of processes is known as silk reeling. Presently silk reeling is done using three types of reeling devices viz. Charka, Cottage basins and Multi-end basins. Poor quality cocoons can be reeled economically on charka. About 50% of silk produced is of charka and about 35 – 40% is at cottage basins and a small quantity of silk is from multi-end reeling.

Charka is a primitive device with which it is not possible to produce quality silk. Even though the cottage basin produces better quality silk compared to charka, it still falls short of gradable silk. Only with multiend reeling device gradable quality silk can be produced.

The most important version of silk reeling device is the automatic silk reeling machines which are popular in China and Japan. Now, steps are being taken to establish automatic silk reeling machines in  Orissa & Tamil Nadu.

            The silk obtained out of the reeling process is referred to as “Raw Silk”. It is the silk reeled by drawing together the filaments from a number of cocoons (6 – 12) based on the thickness required for weaving sector.

Silk Weaving:- The raw silk cannot be directly used for weaving. The raw silk is to be twisted before they are fed into looms. The operation of conversion of raw silk into twisted silk, is termed as twisting. The twisted silk is referred to as Ready Silk. Twisting is undertaken either by separate entrepreneurs or by the weavers themselves. The silk weaving is done either on handlooms or power looms. The traditional silk sarees and dhoties are made on handlooms whereas the printed sarees, dress materials, etc., are made on power looms.