Photo: BSS

DHAKA, Aug 18, 2026 (BSS) - State Minister for Textiles and Jute Md Shariful Alam today said Bangladesh’s traditional silk sector will be transformed into a modern, productive, environment-friendly and internationally competitive industry through stronger cooperation with China in research, technology and knowledge exchange.

He said this while addressing as the chief guest at a conference titled “Research and Development in Sericulture in the Context of Strategic Cooperation between China and Bangladesh”, jointly organised by the Bangladesh Sericulture Development Board and China’s Zhejiang Sci-Tech University in Rajshahi.

The state minister said silk is an important sector deeply rooted in Bangladesh’s long-standing heritage, while Rajshahi is historically known as the “Silk City.”

The sector, he said, can play a significant role in creating rural employment, increasing farmers’ incomes, empowering women and contributing to economic development, according to a press release.

He said the government aims to modernise and make the entire silk value chain—including mulberry cultivation, silkworm rearing and cocoon production, silk yarn manufacturing, weaving, product development, branding and marketing—more productive, competitive and environmentally sustainable.

“To this end, cooperation with China will be further expanded in developing high-yielding mulberry varieties, improved silkworm strains, modern yarn production technologies, quality control and value-added product development,” he said.

The state minister also said effective linkages would be established among researchers, farmers, entrepreneurs and industrial enterprises so that research findings can be applied at the field level and commercial opportunities can be expanded.

“Initiatives will also be taken to strengthen the silk industry through skills development, adoption of modern technologies and increased investment,” he added.

He said the government would take initiatives to further strengthen the quality, product diversity, branding and international market position of Rajshahi Silk, which has received Geographical Indication (GI) recognition.

Professor Xu Qiujie, Vice Dean of Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, said education, research, skilled human resource development and technological innovation play a vital role in the sustainable development of the silk industry.

He said development of the sector could be accelerated further through research collaboration, technology transfer and exchange of experiences between Bangladesh and China.

Rajshahi-3 lawmaker Abu Sayed Chand, Secretary of the Ministry of Textiles and Jute Sharif Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury, Director General of the Bangladesh Sericulture Development Board Md Toufiq Al Mahmud, Chief Coordinator of the China-Bangladesh Silk Research Centre Professor Nusrat Jahan Nipa, academics, researchers, entrepreneurs and senior officials of the ministry were present at the event.