LOK SABHA
Silk exports from
the country up to August 2002 touched US$ 181 million. However,
the Government is hopeful of achieving this year’s export target
of US$ 450 million, in spite of global recession.
Several steps are
being taken by the Government for increasing the export of silk
products. It is providing assistance to the Indian Silk Manufacturing
Council for undertaking export promotion activities. Value addition
and input-output norms extended to exporters as specified under
the EXIM Policy, the facility of duty free import of raw material
under the Advance Licensing Scheme, and the import of capital
goods at concessional rate of duty for export products have been
rationalised.
The Government has
set up a core group to advise on and monitor the planning and
execution of the export promotion strategy involving market research
studies, product development and diversification, encouragement
to R&D, participation in fairs and exhibitions, brand promotion
for non-mulberry silks, expansion of production of Indian raw
silk, etc.
The Government has
also initiated a production programme of high quality bivoltine
silk to improve the quality of Indian silk to international standards
and its productivity and cost competitiveness. Programmes are
being implemented to improve technologies at all stages of silk
processing and to diversify products with inputs for improvement
of looms and designs so as to expand exports.
The facility of loan
at 5 per cent less than the applicable rate under the Technological
Up-gradation Fund Scheme for the textile sector is also available
to the silk sector. Import of raw silk has already been liberalised
by bringing it under OGL, which has increased the availability
of good quality silk. This information was given by the Minister
of State for Textiles, Shri Basanagouda R. Patil, in reply to
a question by Smt. Margaret Alva in the Lok Sabha today.
