A vanya or wild silk and Silkmark exhibition will be part of the three-day 8th International Conference on Wild Moths jointly organized by the Central Silk Board (CSB) under the central ministry of textiles and the International Society for Wild Silk Moths, Japan, at Hotel Radisson Blu in Guwahati from January 22 to popularise silk fabrics among discerning customers in the state.

The conference, being held in the Northeast for the first time, is the only international forum committed exclusively to the wild silk industry that provides access to latest science and technology, current knowledge in the field and the prevailing global business environment for wild silks.

It offers an opportunity for international scientists, universities, faculty and students of institutions of research on host plants, silkworms, post-cocoon technology, silk processing, conservation, biotechnology and frontier areas of research in wild silks to share and exchange latest advancements in the field.

CSB CEO and member-secretary R.R. Okhandiar said that there is high demand for vanya or wild silks in the global market. The Vanya label for wild silks produced in different parts of the country will help in realizing better prices for the producers. Design centres, like the one in Sualkuchi - the hub of muga silk production - help in developing new designs and introduction of new technologies.

CSB with the respective state sericulture and forest department of Assam, Arunachal, Bodoland Territorial Council and Meghalaya to conserve the wild sericigenous species (silk producing species) for muga and other wild silk moths in natural reserve forests had proposed four in-situ conservation centres. Of the four, two have been established at Kuklung reserve forest in Chirang and in upper Doigrung wildlife area in Golaghat.

CSB is also implementing several programmes for the development of the sericulture industry in the northeastern states, including the North East Region Textile Promotion Scheme - a Rs 819-crore project, with 90 percent central and 10 percent state share, that includes support in research and development, technology and marketing of textiles from the region.

Northeast India is the only region in the world that produces all commercially known silks like mulberry, eri, muga, tropical tussar and oak tussar, while Assam is the only producer of the unique muga or golden silk which has been granted with geographical indication certificate.