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Silk reeling and testing manual. Chapter 1.

Produced by: Agriculture and Consumer Protection Title: SILK REELING AND TESTING MANUAL... More details

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
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The origins of sericulture and silk production are closely associated with the emergence of China as one of the great civilizations. It is believed that sericulture evolved gradually and by the middle of the third millennium BC was already being used by humanity. Silk is an animal fibre, produced by caterpillars belonging to the genus Bombyx . A single silk filament is the product of a series of stages derived from the cultivation of mulberry trees for feed to the propagation of the domesticated silkworm, Bombyx mori. During the caterpillar phase, the worm wraps itself in a liquid protein secreted by two large glands in its head. This secreted protein hardens upon exposure to the air. The resulting filament is bonded by second secretion, sericin, which forms a solid sheath or cocoon. Under natural conditions, a moth eventually breaks through the cocoon. In sericulture, the larva is killed in the cocoon by steam or hot air in the chrysalis stage before its metamorphosis. Sustained heat processing softens the hardened sericin so that the filament can be unwound. The silk filament is a continuous thread of great strength measuring from 500-1 500 metres in length. Single filaments are too thin for utilization. For production purposes, several filaments are combined with a slight twist into one strand. This process is known as "silk reeling or filature". Silk is a premium priced agricultural commodity, although its sheer volume is less than 1 percent of the market for natural textile fibres (Table 1). The international demand for high quality silk has multiplied. Appropriate cocoondrying techniques and reeling operations are vital to supply good quality silk. Although new technologies are applied among major silk producing countries in Asia, many newcomers to the industry including non-traditional producers have not been transitioned to the methods that ensure high quality silk for export. World production of raw silk reached nearly one hundred thousand tonnes in 1993. In contrast to strong declines in Japan and the Republic of Korea to roughly 3 900 and 500 tonnes respectively. China for the first time surpassed the 66 000 tonnes and India raised its output to 14 000 tonnes. Outside Asia, Brazilian output exceeded 2 500 tonnes per year, with the then USSR output lingering around 3 000 tonnes yearly. When compared to these three countries, production figures in some traditional sericulture countries have declined. Table 1 World production of textile fibres (in >000 tonnes)
Category/year Cotton Wool
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1975 11 809 1 502

1980 13 981 1 666

1985 17 540 1 673

1990 18 447 1 897

1995 18 200 1590

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Silk reeling and testing manual. Chapter 1.

Cellulose fibres Synthetics Silk

2 959 7 346 55

3 242 10 476 68

3 000 12 515 68

2 988 15 830 85

2 375 17 795 91

Recently, China experienced a striking decline in output to 59 000 tonnes in 1996; however a slight recovery was anticipated in 1997. At this time, Chinas production will be sustained around 60 000 tonnes per year. Output in India also diminished from nearly 14 000 tonnes in 1994 to less than 13 000 tonnes by 1996 (Table 2). Still over 70 percent of global output are attributed to China, followed by India as the second largest producer. Table 2. Production of raw silk in the world (Unit : M/T)
Year Country Brazil Bulgaria China D.P.R. Corea Greece India Indonesia Iran Italy Japan Lebanon Rep. of Korea Rumania Thailand Turkey ex-USSR Vietnam 1938 1970 1980 1985 1990 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996

33 180 4 853 -

259 180 11 124 -

1 170 252 23 460 690

1,554 180 33 000 600

1 692 180 40 800 1 380

2 298 180 51 000 1 380

2 328 180 60 540 1 380

2 538 180 66 060 1 380

2 466 180 64 584 1 104

2 242 180 59 000 1 104*

255 691 210 2 738 43 152 21 1 824

40 2 258 210 310 20 515 21 3 024

36 3 960 31 432 10 16 152 10 2 278 6 960 17 432 12 9 594 10 1 625

8 11 484 17 432 12 5 718 10 948

8 13 002 17 432 12 5 085 10 898

8 13 434 17 432 12 4 254 10 666

8 13 914 17 432 12 3 900 10 492

8 12 882 17 432 12 3 180 10 342

8 12 600* 17 432 12 2 579 10 100

15 213 1 900 178

15 120 1 900 178

126 300 258 4 410 72

126 828 312 3 738 72

126 1 470 210 4 094 498

126 1 518 210 4 092 600

126 1 650 210 3 738 900

126 1 788 210 2 850 1 500

126 1 068 210 2 952 1 800

126 1 068 210 2 900* 1 000*

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Silk reeling and testing manual. Chapter 1.

Others TOTAL

237 56 500

844 41 000

668 55 315

164 59 232

41 69 120

82 80 934

97 89 982

81 95 498

103 91 476

82 83 670

Source: I.S.A. Bulletin (* Estimated) Contents Previous - Next

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