What’s your brand?

Guwahati, Aug. 31: Assam is looking for brand names for muga and eri — two of its finest silks — for promoting the indigenous thread better within and outside the country.

The handloom textiles and sericulture department, which has initiated the move, is now looking to the people to come up with suitable brand names.

A public notice issued by the department on Saturday stated that the brand names should depict the cultural heritage of Assam and should reach the department within two weeks.

“Creating brand names for the two silks, which have properties that can help make finer products like the Pashmina of Kashmir, has been long pending,” a senior official in the department said.

He said projects were under way to produce high quality “value for money” products like stoles, shawls, blankets, mufflers and sweaters out of eri and muga.

“Products made from muga and eri are being exported and are fetching a good price. But a brand name, with which the Assam silks will be known all over the globe, will push up the exports and the price tag,” the official added.

Vanya is the common brand name given by the Central Silk Board for Assam’s golden threads such as eri, muga and tussar, which are non-mulberry silks.

R.K. Rajan, director of the Central Muga Eri Research and Training Institute, Jorhat, under the Central Silk Board, told The Telegraph, “This is a good move as it will create more awareness about both the silks abroad. This will also add to the export markets”.

Eri, muga and tussar are household names of silk in the Northeast.

Over 95 per cent of eri comes from the Northeast, of which Assam produces about 50 per cent, while 86 per cent of the total muga production comes from Assam.

The production for eri in 2007-08 and 2008-09 was 837 and 1,141 metric tonnes respectively. In 2009-10, the production was 1,410 metric tonnes while the target for 2010-11 is 1,025 metric tonnes.

The production for muga in 2007-08 and 2008-09 was static at 105 metric tonnes while in 2009-10 it was 90 metric tonnes. The target for 2010-11 is 159 metric tonnes.

The use of muga and eri is quite closely associated with the culture and tradition of Assamese society and occupies a unique place in the socio-economic life of the people of Assam. Eri is predominant in the state’s sericulture while muga is unique to the Brahmaputra Valley.

The bright golden muga is extremely attractive and much more durable than the normal silk while eri, which is beige in colour, has special thermal properties.

The government had also set up the Sualkuchi Institute of Fashion Technology a couple of years ago to revive the silk industry and create more job opportunities.