The Indian sericulture industry, is currently facing several problems which have restricted full utilization of its potential. Some of the major problems are given below.

Produce good quality bivoltine silk: Indian silk yarn is of poor quality, which not only affects our competitiveness in the world market, but has also resulted in a preference for imported yarn in the domestic market. Though the Indian breeds have the potential to produce the good quality of bivoltine silk, the problem arises due to lack of:

• sufficient thrust on the adoption of improved technologies;
• strict disease control measures;
• quality leaf due to insufficient inputs to mulberry garden;
• appropriate mountages;
• grading system for cocoons;
• quality-based pricing system as well as use of young age silkworms.

Seize Fall in production: It can be done by initiating area-specific research to improve fertility of the soils. This will ultimately enhance soil productivity, increase mulberry and non-mulberry host plant leaf and silkworm cocoon production as well as arrest decline in area under silk food plants.

Enhance the production of bivoltine silk: Bivoltine yarn is sturdier and is used by the power loom industry. But only 5% of the silk produced in India is bivoltine because its production requires much more attention and resources. It also yields just two crops in a year, as against the yield of four to six crops by multi-voltine silk. Even the farmers do not have any incentive to switch to bivoltine silk yarn production because the difference between the selling price of bivoltine and multivoltine silk is not much.

The other factors responsible for it are:

• insufficient adoption and proliferation of technology packages developed through R&D efforts;
• no effort to increase the area under mulberry;
• fragmented and ad hoc approach;
• non-involvement of private partners in a big way in seed production; farming and reeling;
• non-penetration of the schemes;
• improper forward and backward linkages; and
• dumping of cheap Chinese raw silk and fabric .

It is necessary to encourage farmers to move from production of multivoltine silk to bivoltine silk through proper incentives. At the same time it must be ensured that adequate amount of multivoltine is available for the handloom sector to continue production.

Balance the aspirations of farmers and weavers: The sericulturists want imports of raw silk to be restricted and the anti-dumping duty on yarn to remain in place. Exporters and weavers, on the other hand, want the anti- dumping duty to be withdrawn so that they get an assured supply of yarn and are able to export more silk products at competitive rates. Also, there has been a decline in the cultivated area and the raw silk production during 2002–04 due to drought and dumping of Chinese silk at cheap prices.

Increase Non-mulberry silk production: Its production in the country continues to be unsteady and fluctuates from year to year. With its uniqueness, non-mulberry silk production in India has a great potential for value added exports.

Need for quality based pricing: Reeling sector is an input-dependent activity and its operations are influenced heavily by three factors, namely, cocoon quality, cocoon price, and cocoon supply. But due to absence of quality-based price fixation, there has been very little quality control.

Given the fact that, the scope for enhancing the production of silk in the country by expanding the cultivable area is limited. Hence, vertical expansion through productivity increase by using advanced technology and skilled man-power is the only option. In fact, emergence of new sericulture technology has not only reduced the production risks (drudgery) but has also increased the potential cocoon yield/unit area, relative to the traditional technology.