Rs 400-cr mission launched to bolster state’s muga silk sector

Guwahati: The DoNER ministry and Assam govt on Tuesday rolled out a ₹411‑crore project — Mission Muga Silk ‘Senehjori’ — aimed at empowering 2.6 lakh weavers and rearers engaged in the state’s famed golden silk industry.

Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma virtually launched the initiative, which seeks to transform Assam’s unique muga silk sector into a globally competitive luxury textile ecosystem.

“The mission protects the people behind the craft - the farmers and weavers. By forming 1,180 Farmer Interest Groups & 30 FPOs, it empowers the weavers and with digital traceability and strict GI authentication, global buyers can verify the authenticity of our muga handicrafts,” Sarma wrote on ‘X’.

He added that it is a three-year mission with clear objectives to increase muga exports to over 2,000 kg, raise the value realisation of muga yarn to ₹ 30,000 to 45,000 per kg, establish five modernised reeling units and a dedicated muga spun mill and regenerate 5,000 hectares of Som and Soalu plantations.

The mission is also in collaboration among Assam govt, Central Silk Board, ministry of textiles and other partners.

Known as the world’s only naturally golden silk and India’s first GI-tagged silk, muga supports nearly 2.6 lakh families but remains under-monetised. Mission ‘Senehjori’ aims to bridge this gap by creating a premium, traceable and export oriented economy.

The cluster-based initiative will cover major producing districts, including Jorhat, Sivasagar, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Majuli and Sualkuchi.