To explore the development status of China's sericulture and silk industry, strengthen visits and interactions between silk enterprises and organizations of China and India, and promote exchanges and cooperation among member units of the International Silk Union (ISU), a 9-member delegation from the Silk Association of India (SAI), the ISU member, visited the ISU Secretariat and China's silk industry from May 25 to 26, 2025. The delegation comprised Dr. S. B. Dandin (Vice President of SAI), Sri M. Ramachandra Gowda (Secretary of SAI), Dr. B.S. Angadi (Director of SAI and Member of the ISU Technical Research Committee), Dr. H.K. Basavaraja (Director of SAI), Sri M. S. Abdul Azeez (Coordinator of SAI), Sri R. Shivanna (Member of SAI), Dr.N.Vijaya Kumari (Member of SAI), Mr. Suraj Gowda (Member of SAI), and Dr. Bhaskar Roy (Research Fellow at the Hangzhou Institute for Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences).During the visit, Chairman Zhang Guoqiang held an exchange meeting with Dr. S. B. Dandin. and Bian Xing'er, Deputy Secretary-General, Pepper Liu and Liujie Lyu, Secretaries of ISU, accompanies the delegation throughout the visit.
Chairman Zhang extended a welcome to the delegation and introduced the development of the ISU in recent years. This included organize the ISU members assembly and international forums, carry out in-depth analysis and research on international silk industry, organize and promote thematic studies on the sericulture and silk industry. He also shared the development history of Cathaya Group, the chairman unit of ISU, as well as its strategic planning in the comprehensive industrial chain for silk textile, and the industrial chain of sericulture biotechnology. Vice President S.B. Dandin expressed gratitude to the ISU secretariat for its thoughtful arrangements, introduced the basic situation and key activities of SAI, and shared India's current sericulture and their regional production distribution,import and export trade of silk products, as well as the development advantages, challenges and future vision of India's sericulture and silk industry. At the meeting, the two sides had in-depth discussions on topics such as the development trends of the sericulture in China and India, technological and equipment innovation, improvement of raw silk quality, and international cooperation. The two sides agreed to enhance exchanges and resource sharing to boost the global silk industry's competitiveness and influence.
India's Sericulture Industry Overview
During the field study, the ISU Secretariat accompanied the SAI delegation to visit the China National Silk Museum, Zhejiang Canyuan Home Textiles Co., Ltd., and the production links of the industrial chain of Cathaya Group. The SAI delegation learned about China's silk heritage, silk quilt production techniques, and modern mulberry farming models. They also explored advances in sericulture by-product utilization and traditional silk end products, holding in-depth discussions with partners on key areas including premium mulberry varieties, intelligent sericulture systems, and by-product development.
SAI Delegation Visited China National Silk Museum, Vice-Chairman Unit of ISU
Mr. NI Dongdong, General Manager of ISU Council Member Zhejiang Canyuan Home Textile Co., Ltd., hosted the SAI delegation
Mr. ZHU Zhengxian, Deputy General Manager of Cathaya group holding limited, hosted the SAI delegation.
Mr. FANG Weidong, Deputy General Manager of Zhejiang Silk Technology Co., Ltd. received the delegation
The delegation also visited the silk product showroom of ISU Chairman Unit Zhejiang Cathaya International Co., Ltd.
The India Silk Association joined the International Silk Union as its newest national member in 2024, following countries such as Italy, France, Brazil, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Ghana. The two sides will establish a regular exchange mechanism, conduct professional and technical dialogues on a regular basis, strengthen resource sharing, build an industrial cooperation platform, and work together to promote the robust and sustainable development of the global silk industry.
Silk Association of India (SAI)
The Silk Association of India (SAI), India’s only non-governmental organization dedicated to sericulture, partners with central and state governments to promote the industry nationwide. Established in 2006 under the Karnataka Societies Act, its main objective is close coordination with State Sericulture Departments and the Central Silk Board to advance the sector. Currently, SAI has over 400 members including farmers, Chawki Rearing Centre (CRC) owners, seed producers, reelers, weavers, dyers, retired scientists, and government officers. The Association operates through an Executive Committee comprising a Patron, President, Vice President, Secretary, Joint Secretary, Treasurer, and 12 sectoral representatives. The Committee meets bimonthly to discuss industry challenges faced by stakeholders, escalates decisions to authorities for intervention, and proposes remedies to mitigate problems.
