Pachmarhi Silk Seed Unit was established in 1968 with an aim to conserve and breed Mulberry silkworms, which later expanded to the breeding of Tussar, Muga and Eri silkworms. It is the only silk unit in the state of Madhya Pradesh where Muga silkworms breed. The unit provides raw material to Hoshangabad and other weaving units across Madhya Pradesh for further silk production. The unit is covered with large green fields of host plants for the four types of silkworms. Host plants include mulberry, castor plants for eri silk worms, som plants for muga silk worms and arjun trees for the tussar silkworms. The fields are connected by one single road which is called Silk Trek where tourists can go and see the host plant fields and early phase of production.

The silk-making process includes various steps: raising silkworms and harvesting cocoons, thread extraction, dyeing, spinning, weaving and, finally, binding. Silkworms, which are the larvae of a moth, spin a cocoon of fine, strong, lustrous fiber, which is later processed for commercial silk products.

The unit also has a retail store named Prakrit run by the Madhya Pradesh Silk Federation, which sells beautiful Tussar, Muga, Eri and Mulberry silk weaves. Madhya Pradesh Silk Federation is an initiative which bridges the gap between the producer and the market; it helps producers to market the silk products at competitive prices with certification.

Abhinav Kakkar
Madhya Pradesh Silk Federation runs a retail store called Prakrit at the Pachmarhi Silk Seed Unit
Abhinav Kakkar
The gallery which exhibits information about the various host plants, silkworms and the production process
Abhinav Kakkar
Quality checks are performed regularly to ensure that the silk produced is certified
Abhinav Kakkar
An exhibit showing various types of cocoons, yarns and silk types
Abhinav Kakkar
The unit provides raw material to Hoshangabad and other weaving units across Madhya Pradesh
Abhinav Kakkar
The white bivoltine cocoon kept in the open for drying process
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Arjun tree, a host plant for the tussar silkworm
Abhinav Kakkar
Mulberry host plant produces the highest quality and most widely known silk type
Abhinav Kakkar
A field of the host plants
Abhinav Kakkar
A morpankhi sari for sale at Prakrit store
Abhinav Kakkar
A visit to the store is a must