A roundtable was held in the Tajik northern city of Khujand in February to discuss development of cocoon breeding and production of silk and adras in Tajikistan, says the Consultative Council on Improvement of Investment Climate under the President of Tajikistan.

The event was reportedly organized by the Republican Scientific Research Center for Cocoon Breeding of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences of Tajikistan and Open Joint Stock Company (OJSC) Pillai Tojik under support of the NGO Tourism Development Center and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Tajikistan as part of the implementation of the project, Reviving Uzbekistan's and Tajikistan's Sustainable Ikat and Silk RUTSIS, funded by the European Union.

The event brought together representatives of the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies of Tajikistan, the Government of the Sughd Province, OJSC Pillai Tojik, the Scientific Research Center for Cocoon Breeding, representatives of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Sughd Province, industry experts, scientists and practitioners, and also some development partners.

The even participants, in particular, discussed the ways to implement the program for the development of sericulture and silkworm cocoon processing in Tajikistan designed for 2020-2024.

To implement the mentioned program, the roundtable participants discussed the country’s laws, the sericulture program, ways to increase the silkworm feed funds and an innovative approach to development of the sector.  

According to OJSC Pillai Tojik, 2 million mulberry trees will be planted in Sughd and Khatlon provinces over the next 4 years, and 300,000 mulberry trees will be planted in districts subordinated to the center (RRP).

The program reportedly provides for the cultivation of more than 33,000 boxes of silkworms, which will help to increase the production of cocoons to 1,200 tons.  Of these, 800 tons will be processed within the country, which will provide jobs for more than 66,000 people.

Tajikistan this year has reportedly exported 255 tons of raw cocoons worth 1.5 million U.S. dollars.  

The Reviving Uzbekistan's and Tajikistan's Sustainable Ikat and Silk Project (RUTSIS) has been launched under the European Union SWITCH Asia program with the participation of representatives of a consortium, which includes organizations and consulting companies from Germany, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, including: adelphi consult GmbH (Germany), Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Tajikistan, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Uzbekistan, NGO " Tourism Development Center" (Tajikistan), Margilan Crafts Development Centre (Uzbekistan) and Burg Giebigstein University of Arts and Design, (Germany).

The project activities focus on: conducting a needs assessment and informing enterprises about possibilities in value chain, taking into account the requirements of sustainable production; revitalizing and modernizing local silk and ikat value chains; conducting educational trainings and seminars for silk and ikat manufacturers, as well as educational institutions in this field; providing advice to specialized educational institutions that train personnel for the silk industry; revival of the use of environmentally friendly dyes; organization of regional events, cooperation exchanges in the B2B format, fairs and other events with the participation of silk producers; and introducing eco-labeling and ultimately creating opportunities for international recognition of environmentally friendly silk and ikat products from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.