Bangladesh has the poten tial to be one of the major Mik producers, provided Integrated institutional efforts are taken to rejuvenate this sector. a 'Japanese expert has said, reports BSS

The expert. Horoshl Satoh, said despite a large potential market Bangladesh Is still far from the international standard in producing quality silk yam and silk fabrics

For this, he suggested adoption of sophisticated techniques like cross-breeding of Bangladeshi silkworms which produce short length thread with ■ high yielding varieties I HYV) of silkworm eggs from other countries. HYV species are needed to develop the local ones, he said adding locally bred eggs (like family mar riage) are also prone to diseases.

The Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) has organised the visit of Satoh, an expert on silk and man-made textile materials of Itochu Corporation. Tokyo, to assess the problems on the way to flourishing silk industry in

Bangladesh and suggest their remedies.

Talking to BSS here yesterday Satoh said success of the silk industry largely depended on the united endeavours of the concerned officials, mulberry growers. .silkworm rearers. cocoon reelers, weavers, trader*, researchers and exploration of newer avenues for marketing.

Salho who visited Rajshahl silk factory and a number of private silk industries In Rajshahl and Dinajpur from November 28 to December 5. said Bangladeshi cocoons are yellow in colour and are very poor In quality, while cocoons produced by the countries like Japan and China are of international standard.

The expert suggested guarantee of operational fund for the private silk growers and factories and opined that lack of this would be a major impediment to the development of sericulture in Bangladesh.

Earlier. Satoh conducted a ; day-long seminar on sericulture al Rajshahl Sericulture Board (RSB) on Novepilier 30

where 40 officials ahd persons Involved in sericulture cultivation and weaving participated

Another Japanese expert Hitoshi Chihara, who is now working a* an adviser of Joy Silk industries Limited at Dinajpur. also gave lecture a< the seminar on silk cultivation and weaving.

Satoh said Bangladeshi students in this field should receive training from those countries who had developed thl* technology. In this connection. he mentioned that there Is a university In China which teaches on silk technology

He also stressed the need for proper training of the workers and artisans to develop their skill. People at the managerial capacity should also have thorough idea how to develop the quality of products for export.

Later Satoh visited Joy Silk Industries Ltd at Dinajpur which is using Japanese ma chinery and exporting its entire production to Japan. Since there Is a quota " restriction ip

Japan for short width silk fabrics for manufacturing kimono. - the mill could not go for hundred per cent production capacity

Satoh said through cooperative system like Japan silk production In Bangladesh could be Improved, to a great extent. He also suggested immediate replacement of old and obsolete machinery with thg latest ones

Bangladesh at present produces 1.5 million metres of silk fabrics annually as against its total demand for 4.3 mil-' lion. The rest are met through imports. There arq about 180 silk' units and 1000 silk looms In the country. But only 31 per cent of the installed capacity is being used due to shortage of yam.

The expert also suggested massive promotional pro-«ammeS- by the agencies ’ like SR. Bangladesh Sericulture Research and Training Institute (BSRTI) and the nongovernment organisations to overcome the existing problems.