Ranchi, March 2: Jharkhand today demanded that the Central Silk Board offer greater financial aid to the state to further augment its tussar-inspired sericulture boom, starting with the first fiscal of the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17).

Industry secretary A.P. Singh, who met board CEO and member secretary Ishita Roy at their Bangalore headquarters, said that the state raised a demand for double its share of grants received in the ongoing financial year.

In 2011-12, Jharkhand received Rs 50 crore from the silk board to promote sericulture, group training, post-cocoon activities, etc.

“Production of tussar silk has been increasing in Jharkhand for many years and the state happens to be a major contributor in the country. But the focus of the silk board has been on promotion of mulberry silk, rather than tussar in the recent past. I have requested the board authorities to grant greater funds for promotion of sericulture in Jharkhand,” Singh told The Telegraph over phone. He added that the board had given positive assurances to the state.

Jharkhand has witnessed production of nearly 1,025 metric tonne (MT) tussar silk this fiscal compared to only around 90MT in 2006-07.

Singh added that he also requested the central board to develop a model for creating silk parks in major silk-producing states, including Jharkhand, in future.

The model will have updates on the latest global technologies adopted in sericulture to help various stakeholders in the sector — from farmers and weavers to designers — learn the nuances of trade.

Special secretary in the industry department Dhirendra Kumar, who doubles up as managing director of the state silk and handicraft development corporation (better known as Jharcraft), said that Jharkhand had much potential in the sericulture sector.

He said the country’s silk production was around 23,000MT, of which mulberry’s share alone was 16,000-17,000 MT.