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Despite considerable opinion to the contrary, silk continues to dominate in luxury items in apparel and even in men's wear. ar. Both the inherent qualities and the prestige of silk have always placed it in an advantageous position for use in fiber blends. Silk lifts the lower priced man-made fibers into a more desirable, higher priced apparel group, and at the same time silk blends are placed within the reach of the lower income groups. The global promotion of silk, along with the steady increase in population and higher standards of living in both the developed and newly developed countries, provides added potential silk consumers in a world where demand for silk is high and where silk stocks are low. The use of fiber blends, both natural and man-made, does much to satisfy this increasing consumer demand for the luxury of silk.
Innovations in all phases of sericulture techniques are now resulting in even better quality and a wider variety of silk fibers and fabrics. The call for domestic silk on the home market in the major sericultural areas of the world has markedly reduced the flow of raw silk in international trade. The global use of wild silks and native fabricated silks and silk blends has increased similarly in post war years. Increased use of wild silk cocoons, at present going to waste, may well materialize as the result of innovations in the gathering and processing of these cocoons.
Statistics indicate that surplus labor on the home market may be used to fabricate desired native silks for the world market, and un-developed countries such as those in the East Indies might do well to pattern their new textile industries after the Japanese sericulture design, not only in improved mulberry cultivation, seed collective hatching, feeding, and cocoon sales, but also in mechanical reeling. testing techniques, weaving, finishing, marketing and silk promotion. Above all, raw silk imports from nearby countries should be used for weaving.
World raw silk production figures for 1953 show Japan as prime producer with 15,043.3 metric tons, China second with 4,200.0 metric tons, Russia third with 1,900.0 metric tons, Italy fourth with 1,478.5 metric tons, and India fifth with 843.0 metric tons. Current percent-age share of the various regions of the world total for the year 1953 runs as follows: Far East, first with 78.4 per cent; followed by Free Europe and Turkey, second with 8.1. per cent; and Russia and European Satellites a close third with 7.9 per cent of the world raw silk production. World production of silk is about one per cent of the world's soft fiber production.
Since Japan's silk contribution accounts for 60 per cent of the world output, the present day success of world sericulture is largely attributed to the development of sericulture in Japan. Governments are working hard to foster sericulture in their own countries patterned after the Japanese 5-year plan. The increased yields and new technology in the silk reeling section tends to account for most of the silk expansion achieved during the last five years.
It appears that man-made fibers will be used in several of silk's former uses, but it seems probable that silk will hold its place in the world market for textiles of the highest quality.