As demand for Mysore silk soars, KSIC finds it hard to keep up despite increased production

Mysore Silk saris have always been a favourite among women for their unique sheen and texture, but of late, due to extensive publicity for the GI-tagged pure silk product on social media and other factors, sales have skyrocketed, leading to a shortfall in supply.

According to data provided by Karnataka Silk Industries Corporation Limited (KSIC), between the years 2021-22 and 2022-23, sales of its fabrics increased by ₹41.08 crore.

In fact, even the recent (May 25) price hike of the saris by KSIC seems to have little to no effect on the demand.

Linked to gold, silver prices

“We increased the price by 11-15% depending on the amount of gold and silver that is used in the saris. The increasing price of these precious metals is what compelled the price rise. While the rise may reflect as just ₹1,500-₹2,000 in some saris, it is around ₹5,000 – ₹6,000 for some,” said Zehera Naseem, managing director, KSIC. 

“However, this has not deterred the customers from buying Mysore Silk saris as we had one of our highest business days on May 25 (the day of price hike) when there were sales worth ₹1.8 crore across all our showrooms. Even the next day, the business was around ₹85 lakh,” she added. 

KSIC officials added that at most stores, women queue up on Saturdays, when new stocks arrive to buy them before they fly off the shelves. “Because most saris are sold on Saturday itself, those who turn up to the stores on other days often must return empty handed. We also have people who place orders for saris weeks in advance,” Ms. Naseem said. 

Most in demand

LP saris, or the saris which are dyed in contrast colours, are the most in demand among the customers, officials said. KSIC’s online portal also sees many orders received for this variety even from countries like United States and Australia.  

“When they come to the store, customers mostly ask for the signature zari bordered Mysore Silk saris. These days, we are selling saris that we would normally sell in a week in one day,” said a salesperson at KSIC’s Malleshwaram store.  

“Getting your choice of KSIC saris has always been difficult. Previously, if you knew a salesperson at a particular store, especially if you were a government employee, you could ask them to keep aside a particular piece for you whenever it arrives. That is not possible these days, apparently due to short supply. Saris of some colours like green or maroon seem to never be in stock,” said Rajatha S., a government employee from Padmanabhanagar.  

More output, more demand

Around 3.32 lakh metres of fabric was produced by KSIC in 2020-21 and it went up to 5.41 lakh metres in 2022-23. The Corporation has taken several steps to boost production further to cater to the growing demand.  

“But we cannot increase our production capacity at once. But we are trying to increase the number of looms. We are also procuring Automatic Reeling Machines which will increase thread production. Our looms will also be equipped with electronic jacquards which will reduce weaving defects. We are also in the process of recruiting more manpower which is very essential,” the MD said. 

Printed silks

Apart from its signature pieces, KSIC has seen that the sales of printed silk saris have gone up by 15% to 20% in the last one year after new designs were introduced. Their products for men including panche (dhoti) and shalya, kurtas and shirts have also had good sales, especially during the wedding season, officials said.

Shortage of master weavers

KSIC officials acknowledged that there was a shortage of supply, especially of georgette saris, mainly due to vacancies of master weavers.

“Some of our exclusive pieces are not available as much as earlier due to these vacancies. While we have regular weavers, finding master weavers is a difficult task. We need to train our experienced weavers to make them master weavers. However, this will take time,” says Zehera Naseem, managing director, KSIC. 

In KSIC’s Mysuru unit which comprises of a silk weaving factory unit and the composite silk weaving unit, only 152 out of the total 159 installed looms are working due to shortage of weavers. Similarly, in the silk filature in T. Narasipura, 55 out of the 60 looms are functioning while 26 out of the 30 looms installed in the silk weaving unit in Channapatna are operating. A total of 16 looms are currently not operating, shows the data from KSIC.