The glorious silk sector of Bangladesh now is facing an embarrassing situation due to excessive price of foreign silk yarn and abnormal decline in its local production. At a joint meeting was called between members of International Sericulture Commission (ISC) and local stakeholders at board room of Bangladesh Sericulture Development Board (BSDB) in Rajshahi city on Monday.

Both sericulture experts from home and abroad explicitly called for revitalizing the ailing silk sector by making best use of existing natural resources for strengthening the national economy. They added that both men and women, irrespective of age, could be used in the silk cultivation side by side with the manufacturing part.

Sericulture together with its industrial side involves a huge number of people who depend on agriculture as an agro-based and labour-intensive industry.

Taking part in the discussion, ISC Experts Dr Nirmal Kumar, Dr BS Angary, Dr Shiba Kumar, Dr SM Bokhtiar and Dr Tayan Raj Guru disseminated their expertise on the issue with BSDB Director General Anis-Ul-Haque in the chair.

The discussants laid emphasis on elevating the sector for the sake of saving huge hard-earned foreign currencies which are spent for import of the silk yarn.

Silk sector needs initiatives to retain the skilled laborers, especially the rearers, weavers and printers in the profession in the greater interest of the sector. There is no alternative to boosting local production to protect the sector.

Liakat Ali said that importance should be given on farmer level transfer and dissemination of the high- yielding mulberry trees and silk-cocoons and other relevant technologies so far innovated in the laboratory researches.

He laid stress on proper use of plant varieties and modern technologies at the growers' level that is very essential to attain cherished goals in this field. The silk industrialist mentioned that increased domestic production of yarn can help revitalise the traditional silk sector.

BSDB Members Nazibul Islam and Kamal Uddin, Director of Bangladesh Sericulture Research and Training Institute Jamal Uddin Shah and President of Bangladesh Silk Industries Owners' Association Liakat Ali also spoke.