A new silk economy is unfolding in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), where the age-old tradition of silkworm rearing and hand-weaving is being transformed into a powerful engine of economic empowerment and cultural pride.
The transformation is led by Bodoland Sericulture Mission, an integrated programme of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) in collaboration with the Central Silk Board, Ministry of Textiles, NEHHDC, the World Bank-funded APART project, and NTPC-Bongaigaon, the initiative has begun to reshape the economic landscape of rural communities.
Sericulture is deeply rooted in the Bodo and tribal way of life, especially in the form of eri, or “peace silk,” rearing, which has traditionally been managed by women as part of household farming.
Traditionally practiced by women as part of subsistence farming, it is now growing into a vibrant, community-driven enterprise.
Today, more than 41,800 acres of land across 1,658 villages in the BTR are under silkworm food plantations, providing livelihoods to over 44,000 families. Officials report that over half of BTR’s villages are now engaged in sericulture and the region’s raw silk production has doubled in the past decade, reaching 1,510 metric tons in 2024–25.
Eri silk contributes an overwhelming 97 percent of this output, with the region emerging as the second-largest producer of eri silk in the Northeast after Assam.
The recognition of Bodoland’s growing prominence came in 2024, when Bodo Eri Silk was awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) tag, securing its identity in both domestic and international markets.
Over the past four and a half years, the Bodoland Sericulture Mission has directly supported more than 6,000 households, providing training, infrastructure, and technology support worth an average of Rs 50,000 per family. The Mission spans the entire silk value chain—from plantation and cocoon rearing to spinning and weaving.
Special focus has been laid on expanding host-plant areas, ensuring disease-free seed supply, and constructing rearing houses, which has stabilised cocoon production and improved returns for women-led producer groups.
The shift has been reinforced by new infrastructure. Two major eri silk spun mills were inaugurated in 2025, creating a turning point for the sector.
The first, set up at the Integrated Textile Park in Barama, Baksa, was inaugurated in January with funding of Rs 14.92 crore from the North Eastern Council.With a daily production capacity of 461 kilograms of eri yarn, it employs 375 people and supports nearly 50,000 rural households by ensuring round-the-year off-take of cocoons.
The second, launched in Kokrajhar’s Bodoland Silk Park in August with an investment of Rs 13.39 crore from the Central Silk Board, is expected to produce 37 metric tons of eri yarn annually, creating 90 jobs and supporting more than 15,000 livelihoods.
Officials say these mills are more than industrial units, they are a guarantee of stable prices for rearers and a new avenue for value-added yarn, lifting margins for weavers and enabling the entry of Bodoland’s silk into premium and export-facing markets.
The NEHHDC has already started marketing certified yarn from the Baksa mill, signalling a move toward niche fashion segments that prize ethical, sustainable textiles.
With Assam already the epicentre of eri and muga silk in India, the BTR’s expanding host-plant area and spinning capacity are expected to reinforce the state’s dominance in this sector.
The challenge now, officials point out, lies in sustaining throughput, steady procurement of cocoons at fair prices, timely working capital for producer groups, and building stronger linkages between women’s clusters, mills, and brand buyers.
For thousands of families across Kokrajhar, Udalguri, Baksa, Chirang, and Tamulpur, the changes are already visible. With fewer middlemen, shorter distances to sell, and higher returns on yarn, sericulture is moving from a marginal household practice to a dependable second income. As the mills reach their planned capacity and the Mission continues to expand, Bodoland’s silk revolution is not only weaving prosperity but also securing the region’s place on the national and global textile map.