At HIM MSME Fest 2026, Watch The Journey Of Silk  

Live demonstrations of silk blending on traditional looms with wool and pashmina emerged as one of the flagship attractions at the HIM MSME Fest, highlighting the biggest initiative of the state’s industries department to revive raw silk and allied crafts of Himachal Pradesh at the upcoming three-day HIM MSME Fest 26, beginning in the hill town on January 3, 2026.

During the festival, special interactive sessions have also been planned, not only to connect the traditional weavers with urban consumers but also to promote value addition, market access, and entrepreneurship among micro- and small enterprises and start-up aspirants seeking new opportunities using the traditional knowledge pool.

A skilled weaver from Mandi will give a live demonstration on a traditional loom about weaving threads and finished handmade products sourced from rural pockets. This is aimed at giving the visitors, including buyers from the rest of India and also locals, a rare glimpse into the region’s rich handloom legacy in the silk production, apart from wool, agro-based, and horticulture crops.

The exhibition planned for the Fest will show how silk products are made, from the cocoon to the cloth, to showcase local methods, expert skills, and how the silk farming industry supports people's livelihoods. The current product of silk is around 32 metric tonnes in Himachal Pradesh, which the Industries Department proposes to significantly increase, besides connecting the weavers and the producers with the buyers at the fest.

Old-timers recall that sericulture has a long historical background. Over the years, it had evolved into an important rural cottage industry that provided a significant subsidiary income to rural communities.

“The state is known for producing high-quality silk, including unique univoltine and bivoltine mulberry cocoons since early times. We had an excellent, supportive infrastructure and knowledge-based policies to boost silk production and value additions. All these products will be showcased at the Fest for the first time,” said Tilk Raj Sharma, Additional Director (Industries)—who is the key coordinator for the Fest.

Data available with the industries department reveals that there are around 10,500 families involved in the sericulture activities, ranging from cultivation of the mulberry plants to silkworm rearing, cocoon production, to silk yarn and also all value-added activities.

Under Silk-Samagra-I and II, a flagship scheme implemented by the Ministry of Textiles through the Central Silk Board, the beneficiaries, who are mostly the farmers and rural communities, are provided attractive subsidies and grants to boost production and take up rearing and silk weaving activities.

The beneficiaries also receive training, funds, and kits to develop infrastructure and rear silkworms for cocoon production. This activity generates significant man-days of employment and is a key source of cash income,” a senior official in the industry confirmed.

Since the sericulture happens to be a labour-intensive and agro-based activity, which helps the small and marginal farmers and landless labourers to enhance livelihood means, the Himachal Pradesh government has launched several initiatives to provide financial grants to support these activities. This includes financial assistance for constructing rearing houses, providing rearing equipment, disinfectants, and health insurance for women rearers.

Except for Lahual-Spiti, where the climate conditions don’t support cultivation and mulberry and silkworm rearing, all other 11 districts have been engaged in the core activity related to silk production and value addition. Of these, Bilaspur, Kangra, Mandi, Hamirpur, Una, Sirmaur, Shimla, and Solan are prominent.

Some of the weavers based in Mandi informed that the subsidy and supportive grants provided by the state government have raised new hopes for the sector, which used to get a lot of demand from West Bengal. The process of extracting raw silk filaments from the cocoons was initially carried out at the government reeling units, but now some private entrepreneurs have offered the facility.

Recognising the potential of the sericulture sector and congenial climate conditions in the mid-Himalayan areas, particularly the districts of Kangra, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Chamba, and Una,  the state government had established a separate sericulture wing in the Directorate of Industries in the 1950s.

Till some years back, the Nurpur Silk Mill, established in 1963, had provided a major livelihood opportunity to small and marginal farmers as well as landless labourers, particularly in the lower Kangra region. This made the Nurpur silk much popular within and outside the state.

“The mill had acted as a hub for value addition to silk and engagement of several households in the silkworm for women and farm families” recalls Ajay Mahajan, a former Nurpur MLA—whose father late Sat Mahajan, a multiple-time Congress MLA and minister, also was instrumental in making Nurpur silk popular.

In 1983, Oak Tasar silk was introduced in districts like Mandi, Kangra, Shimla, and Solan, leveraging the abundant oak flora in the region.

“The government has continued to invest in the industry, including the inauguration of a second Silk Seed Production Centre in Thunag (Mandi district) in 2022 to meet local demand and reduce imports. A Silk Entrepreneurship Development and Innovation Centre is also being established,” said a spokesman of the industries department.