A four‑week sericulture and silk‑industry training programme, organised under the Indian Technical and Economic Co‑operation (ITEC) scheme by the Central Silk Board (CSB), the International Sericulture Commission (ISC) and the Central Sericultural Research and Training Institute (CSRTI) in Mysuru, began on Friday and will run until September 30. It marks the eighth international CSB‑CSRTI training session, bringing the total number of participants trained to 188 from 27 countries, and this edition hosts 21 participants representing ten countries.
The delegations arrive from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cuba, Ghana, Maldives, Mauritius, Nigeria, Philippines, Thailand and Zambia, with Cambodia, Maldives, Mauritius and Zambia attending for the first time. Participants come from various sericulture, agriculture and allied departments in their home nations, offering a range of experiences and perspectives.
CSB Member Secretary and Chief Executive Officer P. Sivakumar inaugurated the programme, urging attendees to maximise the learning opportunities and to present detailed overviews of their countries’ current sericulture status, five‑year targets and development plans. He highlighted India’s role in advancing sericultural research, including the development of high‑quality mulberry varieties, improved silkworm breeds and value‑added by‑products for sectors such as food, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, and encouraged participants to consider ISC registration for technical support.
Director P. Deepa of CSRTI explained that the curriculum combines interactive classroom sessions, practical demonstrations and hands‑on modules, supplemented by field visits to farmers’ fields, cocoon markets, seed farms, chawki rearing centres and the Central Silk Technology Research Institute in Bengaluru, to give trainees a comprehensive view of the entire sericultural value chain.