Yizhou strives to become China's new silk capital

In recent years, Hechi's Yizhou district has been promoting the integrated development of mulberry planting, sericulture and silk making industries, with the aim of becoming the "New Silk Capital of China".

The district's mulberry silkworm industry has been developing rapidly. The existing mulberry orchard area is 380,000 mu (25,333 hectares), accounting for 13.09 percent of the total mulberry orchard area in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. The annual output of fresh cocoons has reached 67,100 metric tons. Yizhou has ranked first among counties and districts in Guangxi in terms of area of mulberry orchards and silkworm cocoon output for 17 consecutive years.

The district also continues to extend the industrial chain. There are 17 cocoon and silk processing enterprises above designated size in Yizhou, as well as 15 enterprises focusing on comprehensive development and utilization of sericulture resources, and more than 30 local well-known trademarks and brands have been registered. The Yizhou mulberry cocoon has become a national geographic indication and is among the first group of regional public brand agricultural products in Guangxi.

"The output of silkworm cocoons in Guangxi and in Yizhou is high. However, the industry chain still needs to be improved. We hope to introduce cocoon silk printing and dyeing projects, build a silk industrial park, attract more silk companies to set up operations in Yizhou, and form an internationally-influential silk industry center encompassing Guangxi, Guangdong and Southeast Asia, with Yizhou as the center," said Guangxi Jialian Silk Company Administration Director Yuan Yi.