Uganda to start commercial silk yarn production

KAMPALA — Uganda is now ready to begin commercial silk yarn production, results from samples sent to Europe for grade testing, have indicated.

Uganda under the Tropical Institute of Development Innovations (TRIDI) last year sent its first samples of silk yarn for testing in the European market branded “Usilk”. Test results received by TRIDI have shown that Uganda’s yarn silk are within the commercial grades.

“Uganda is now ready to begin commercial silk yarn production. Results of our silk yarn that was sent to Europe for grade testing have been released and we are within the commercial grades,” Mr. Clet Wandui Masiga, the Executive Director and Sericulture Project Principal Investigator at TRIDI told reporters on Wednesday afternoon.

Silk quality standards are ranked according to the uniformity of yarn, minimal impurities, minimal fluff, tensile strength and elongation.

“Our Usilk count/denier size was 25.2D which was excellent considering the specifications used in the production was 19-33 denier. We had high cuts per kg of silk yarn and more impurities. When we received the results we immediately gathered our technical teams to do a quick evaluation,” Mr. Wandui added.

He said that whereas Uganda sought to achieve specifications for Grade 6A which is the best quality silk globally to begin commercial production, Usilk did not make it to the higher grade.

Mr. Wadui told reporters that there’s room for improvement.

“The Silk engineers and investors and entrepreneurs from Europe where the test was done are coming to Uganda next month to visit Uganda factory, so they can see cocoon quality, machine and production environment,” he announced.

He said these would provide suggestions to help improve the quality to produce Grade 6A silk yarn.

“We did the research and we are convinced that our mulberry production is the best globally. Our research also demonstrates that the rearing conditions are also the best. We are also using the best or latest next generation processing equipment and as such we expected Grade 6A. We decided that we shall build our own capacity by training young engineers to produce the yarn and they have done it first time. Am proud of this team of Ugandans and I congratulate them and request them to remain committed and focused. We are producing a product that has a market and we shall get revenue for our own livelihoods and for socio-economic development of Uganda”.

He said that once the much sought-after grade A production skills are perfected, Uganda would earn upto UGX 43.2B annually.