Utexrwa forays into developing silk industry

20 Aug '08

2 min read

Usine Textle du Rwanda (Utexrwa), has taken up an entirely new and challenging proposition of developing a silk textile industry for the country with an initial investment of about Frw2.8 billion.

This capital will be utilized for remodeling a cotton textile mill to produce silk thread, importing appropriate machinery and developing 25 hectares for a mulberry tree plantation whose leaves are fodder for the caterpillars that make silk.

In addition to this, Utexrwa has also trained a group of people for actively participating in the production process. This highly profitable venture of producing silk fabric is likely to become a leading foreign exchange earner for Rwanda which is already considered for being a market leader in the Great Lakes region.

Utexrwa will require an average of 60,000 cocoons for optimum operation and this is a huge number to raise considering the restricted acreage available for mulberry cultivation. There is therefore a need to increase both the area of plantation as well as the number of people required to be trained for silkworm rearing.

Besides, giant industrial players like Rwanda Investment Group have also shown keen interest in silk production and has made a head start by planting an additional 20 hectares of mulberry in Rusizi.

Fibre2fashion News Desk

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