The Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation (KSIC) is intending to weave silk garments at affordable prices in the range of Rs. 3,000 to 5,000, catering to middle class, said KSIC Chairman Noorondu Shetty.

He was speaking after inaugurating the renovated KSIC showroom at the city Zoo complex here on Saturday.

The silk producing unit at Channapatna is being rejuvenated at a cost of Rs. 9 crore for which the government has sanctioned Rs. 6 crore. KSIC is mulling on producing silk suitable for uniforms of air hostesses, saree, shalya etc, from the soft silk spun at the Channapatna Unit, he said.

The demand for Karnataka silk is increasing in the market. There are a total of 15 mobile stalls in different States across South India. Sales outlets are getting ready for inauguration at Mumbai and Delhi also. Permission has been obtained for setting up a stall in Garuda Mall being started at Mysore, he said adding that the KSIC has been making huge profits for the past seven years.

Although the quality of silk produced at the units in Mysore and T. Narasipur are being maintained, the Unit at T. Narasipur is facing a scarcity of 1,200 kg silk this year. The silk thread being brought from Surat is being used after testing at a defence laboratory in Chennai. Each garment will have 0.65 gold and 6.5 silver threads and hence is a costly material, he stated.

Export to foreign countries: The silk garments is being exported to foreign countries including America and Australia through on-line sale. Interested buyers can log on to website www.ksicsilk.com and pay the advance amount following which the textile with colour and design selected by them will be produced and exported through courier service. For this purpose, e-GCART technology is been used to make it easy to change the design which previously required 15 days, Noorondu Shetty said.

Karnataka silk has earned name in the international market. Due to import of China silk, farmers here are not showing interest in mulberry cultivation. Hence, the govt. should think of changing the import policy, he opined.