India makes every major kind of commercial silk on earth. Only a handful of countries can say that. Four distinct varieties come from four different silkworms, each tied to its own trees and its own region. This article covers all four: mulberry, tasar, eri, and muga.
India’s Silk, By the Numbers
0 MT
India’s raw silk production, 2024-25 (Ministry of Textiles)
2nd
Largest silk producer in the world, after China
0M
People employed in India’s sericulture sector
4
Commercial varieties: Mulberry, Tasar, Eri, Muga
Share of India’s Raw Silk Output, by Variety (2024-25)
Mulberry75.8%
Eri19.18%
Tasar4.58%
Muga0.56%
One of very few countries: India produces every major commercial silk variety — mulberry, tasar, eri, and muga — while most nations make only mulberry silk.
🧵 The Four Commercial Varieties
1. Mulberry Silk
- Host Plant Mulberry silk comes from the silkworm Bombyx mori. It feeds only on mulberry leaves, mainly from the tree Morus alba.
- Share Mulberry is India's leading silk variety by far. It made up 75.8% of India's total raw silk output in 2024-25.
- Quality It is the finest and most lustrous of the four varieties. This makes it the standard choice for premium sarees and formal wear.
- Global Norm Most silk-producing countries make only mulberry silk. India is unusual in also producing three non-mulberry, or "vanya," silks at commercial scale.
2. Tasar (Tussar) Silk
- Host Plant Tasar comes from the silkworm Antheraea mylitta. It feeds in the wild on Arjun, Asan, and Sal trees, not on mulberry.
- Texture Tasar silk has a natural copper-brown colour. It is coarser and less shiny than mulberry silk, and is prized for furnishings and textured weaves.
- Global Rank India is the world's second-largest producer of tropical tasar silk, after China. India accounts for a small but steady share of the world total.
- Oak Tasar A cooler-climate cousin, Oak Tasar, comes from a related silkworm that feeds on oak leaves. It is reared in parts of the sub-Himalayan belt, including Manipur.
3. Eri Silk ("Ahimsa Silk")
- Host Plant Eri silkworms feed mainly on castor leaves. This is why eri is sometimes called castor silk.
- Ahimsa Silk Eri is also called Ahimsa Silk, or peace silk. Its moth is allowed to complete its life cycle and leave the cocoon naturally, before the fibre is spun.
- Comfort Eri fabric is warm in winter and cool in summer. It is also strong, durable, and elastic, closer in feel to cotton than to mulberry silk.
- Certification Eri silk has recently gained Oeko-Tex certification for chemical safety. See the Current Affairs section below for the full story.
4. Muga Silk
- Host Plant Muga silkworms feed on the leaves of Som (Persea bombycina) and Soalu (Litsea monopetala) trees.
- Assam Only Muga is almost exclusively reared in Assam. Its natural golden-yellow sheen cannot be reproduced anywhere else in the world under natural conditions.
- GI Tag Muga silk received Geographical Indication status in 2007. It is one of Assam's best-known GI products.
- Durability Muga silk resists sunlight and grows more lustrous with every wash. A well-kept Muga garment can outlast its owner.
4 Varieties at a Glance Good to Know
| Variety | Host Plant | Leading States | Notable Tag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mulberry | Morus alba (mulberry) | Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, J&K | Mysore Silk GI Tag |
| Tasar | Arjun, Asan, Sal | Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha | Oak Tasar in Manipur, HP, J&K |
| Eri | Castor | Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland | Ahimsa Silk |
| Muga | Som, Soalu | Assam (near-exclusive) | GI Tag, 2007 |
Reading the Map: Three Silk Belts
- South Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu form India's main mulberry belt. Karnataka alone supplies close to half of the country's mulberry silk. The region's warm climate, water access, and reeling infrastructure all favour mulberry cultivation. Mysore silk, from Karnataka, carries its own GI tag.
- Central-East Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha form the tasar belt. Tasar silkworms are forest-based and rain-fed, not grown on farmland like mulberry. Tasar rearing supports the livelihoods of many tribal communities in this region.
- Northeast Assam is the hub for both eri and muga silk. Muga is woven into the Mekhela Chador, Assam's traditional two-piece dress. Eri is valued for its warmth in winter and coolness in summer.
🏛️ Schemes, Quality Marks, and Global Standing
1. The Central Silk Board's Role
- Nodal Body The Central Silk Board (CSB) is India's statutory nodal agency for silk. It works under the Ministry of Textiles, and runs research, seed production, and quality control nationwide.
- Read More See IndEco0207 — Central Silk Board for the Board's full history, structure, and leadership.
2. Silk Samagra 2.0
- What It Is Silk Samagra 2.0 is CSB's Integrated Scheme for Development of the Silk Industry. It covers mulberry, non-mulberry, and post-cocoon activities across the whole silk value chain.
- Outlay The scheme runs from 2021-22 to 2025-26, with a total outlay of ₹4,679.85 crore. It is implemented jointly by CSB and State Sericulture Departments.
- Focus Areas Key components include seed breeds, reeling mechanization, and Silk Parks. As of the scheme's latest update, over 78,000 beneficiaries had received central assistance of ₹1,075.58 crore.
3. Silk Mark: Guarding Against Fakes
- What It Is Silk Mark is a quality label from the Silk Mark Organisation of India (SMOI), which works under CSB. A Silk Mark label certifies that a garment is 100% pure natural silk.
- Anti-Counterfeit The modern Silk Mark label carries a hologram, invisible UV text, and a scannable QR code. Scanning it reveals the authorised seller's details, making a fake label hard to fabricate.
- Single Use The sticker label self-destructs once peeled off a garment. This stops a genuine label from being reused on a fake product.
4. India's Place in the World Silk Trade
- China Leads China is the world's largest silk producer and its top exporter. China alone accounts for roughly 80% of global raw silk output.
- India, 2nd India ranks second in the world for silk production. India is also the world's second-largest producer and consumer of silk, according to the Ministry of Textiles.
- Biggest Buyer India's own demand for silk outstrips what it can grow at home. This is exactly why India still imports raw silk, largely from China, even while ranking as the world's second-largest producer.
Silk Samagra 2.0 sits alongside other single-commodity development schemes. See IndEco0095 — Coffee Cultivation in India for a comparable scheme structure in a different crop.
Test Yourself
🔗 The Bigger Picture
1. Sericulture as Rural Employment
- Labour-Intensive Sericulture spreads across millions of small farms, not large factories. India's sericulture sector employed about 9.76 million people in 2024-25, mostly in rural and semi-urban areas.
- Tribal Livelihoods Tasar rearing, in particular, supports tribal communities across Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha. Because tasar silkworms feed in forests, tasar income needs no farmland at all.
2. Two GI Tags Worth Remembering
- Mysore Silk Mysore silk received its GI tag in 2005. Genuine Mysore silk must be woven within Mysore city limits, from mulberry yarn reeled in Karnataka.
- Muga Silk Muga silk received its GI tag in 2007, recognising its unique origin in Assam. No other region can legally sell silk as "Muga."
📰 Current Affairs
1. Recent Production and Certification News
- Output 2024-25: India's raw silk production reached a record 41,121 metric tonnes. That is a 55% rise from 26,480 metric tonnes in 2013-14. (Source: PIB, Ministry of Textiles)
- Mix 2024-25: Mulberry silk made up 75.8% of that total. Eri contributed 19.18%, tasar 4.58%, and muga 0.56%. (Source: Central Silk Board / Ministry of Textiles)
- Certification 16 Aug 2024: The North Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation (NEHHDC) obtained Oeko-Tex certification for eri silk, directly from Germany. NEHHDC works under the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, and made the announcement on India's 78th Independence Day. (Source: PIB, Ministry of DoNER)
Previous Year Question
Asked as: “Which of the following is/are the most significant implication(s) of obtaining Oeko-Tex certification for Eri Silk in the global textile industry?” (UPSC CSP 2026, GS Paper I).
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