Founded 50 years ago, it serves as a forum for every country in the silk business, either production, processing or trade. The Association has members in 40 countries, and includes the major silk producers. Over the past few months ITC organized four events in Asian cities on the implementation of the World Trade Organization s Agreement on Textiles and Clothing and related eco-labelling issues.
Japan is the world's leading silk consumer.
This figure, however, is misleading, since the actual trading value of silk and silk products is much more impressive. This is a multibillion dollar trade, with a unit price for raw silk roughly twenty times that of raw cotton. Unlike some other textiles, silk-wearing traditions and demand go back a long way. India has thus become the largest importer of raw silk, despite the fact that it is now the second largest producer. Some other silk producers are also experiencing fast-growing local demand, such as China, where consumers are increasingly able to afford the lower price range silk products.