Bangladesh Sericulture Development Board
Profile
- Head
- Md Anwar Hussain
- Role
- Director General
- Annual budget
- —
- Staff
- —
- Established
- 1978
- Legal basis
- Originally established under The Bangladesh Sericulture Board Ordinance, 1977 (Presidential Ordinance No. LXI of 1977), which created the Bangladesh Sericulture Board (BSB) in 1978; reorganised and renamed the Bangladesh Sericulture Development Board in 2013 by merging BSB, BSRTI, and Bangladesh Silk Foundation.
BSDB is in a chronic underperformance cycle: Tk 148.95 crore invested across five projects since 2013 has failed to expand silk output, with mulberry acreage contracting and private factory closures accelerating (70 of 76 BSCIC factories closed). The board's own workforce has shrunk below 154 employees since 2024 and two active ADB-linked development projects are stalled. The Rajshahi Silk Factory, the only government unit producing fabric from local cocoons, runs 19 power looms relaunched in 2018 and generates ~Tk 250,000 in daily sales. BSDB's affiliated BSRTI has developed 20 silkworm and 15 mulberry varieties with a 12-15% yield improvement potential, but local production of ~4 tonnes of fine silk yarn per year meets less than 1% of national demand of ~400 tonnes, with ~350 tonnes imported annually from China and India.
Recent activity
- 2026-03-12 other BSS News investigation published (12 March 2026) found Rajshahi silk industry structurally dependent on imports: local production is approximately 4 tonnes of fine silk yarn and 40 tonnes of waste yarn annually against national demand of ~400 tonnes, requiring nearly 350 tonnes of annual imports from China and India. The Rajshahi Silk Factory under BSDB -- the only government unit producing fabric directly from silkworm cocoons -- operates 19 power looms (reopened 2018) and averages ~Tk 250,000 in daily fabric sales. BSDB officials Arifa Sultana (Chief Production and Marketing Officer) and Dr M.A. Mannan (Director, Extension) confirmed foreign yarn dominance and proposed interest-free medium-term loans modelled on fish farming programmes to expand mulberry cultivation. ↗
- 2026-02-28 other BSS News district feature (28 February 2026) on Rajshahi silk heritage and economic potential reported that BSDB workforce has fallen from 154 employees to fewer since 2024 with no new projects launched; Director General Towfique Al Mahmud confirmed two ongoing development projects are stalled due to insufficient ADB funding; domestic and export demand for Rajshahi silk remains but is undermined by raw material shortages, inadequate technology, and competition from synthetic imports. ↗
- 2025-09-14 other BSS News revival report (14 September 2025) documented BSDB programme outputs under Director General Shafiqul Islam: 3,270 farmers trained, silk cultivation expanded to 1,100 bigha, 2,369 silk farmers received silkworm rearing materials, 874 silkworm rearing houses constructed, approximately 15 lakh mulberry plants produced and distributed, and more than 4,000 people now directly engaged across 600 blocks. Director (Production and Marketing) Nasima Khatun highlighted that the affiliated BSRTI has developed 20 silkworm varieties and 15 mulberry plant varieties, projected to raise silk production by 12-15 percent and reduce import dependence. The Rajshahi Silk Factory produced 53,000 metres of cloth through April 2025, with daily sales valued at approximately Tk 2.5 lakh. ↗
- 2024-10-19 audit New Age Bangladesh investigation (19 October 2024) found Tk 148.95 crore invested across five sericulture projects since 2013 has produced negligible industry revival: only Tk 103.01 crore spent, mulberry farming area has contracted from 148.5 acres (2015) to 137.61 acres (2024), and yarn output remains stagnant at 1,134 kg from 149 tonnes of cocoons in 2024 versus 1,229 kg from 123 tonnes in 2015. The active project (Integrated Plan for Expansion and Development of Sericulture, 2nd Phase, Tk 49.73 crore) was 46% complete as of its June 2024 target end date, with an extension proposal submitted. A former board official alleged 90 percent of annual report production data was fabricated. 70 of 76 private silk factories in Rajshahi BSCIC area have closed due to yarn shortage. ↗
- 2025-03-25 other BSDB published job circular (25 March 2025) for 50 posts across three categories: Expert Planter (26), Expert Rearer (17), and Driver (7); online applications via bsdb.teletalk.com.bd opened 10 April and closed 4 May 2025. The recruitment signals an intent to expand field-level extension capacity for mulberry cultivation and silkworm rearing. ↗↗
Provenance & notes
Legal basis: The Bangladesh Sericulture Board Ordinance, 1977 (bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd/act-561.html) established the Bangladesh Sericulture Board (BSB) in 1978 under a Presidential Ordinance; in 2013 the board was merged with the Bangladesh Sericulture Research and Training Institute (BSRTI) and the Bangladesh Silk Foundation and renamed the Bangladesh Sericulture Development Board (BSDB). Banglapedia and Wikipedia both confirm the 1977 Ordinance as legal basis and 1978 as operational year. Parent ministry confirmed as Ministry of Textiles and Jute per INSERCO national delegate record (inserco.org/en/bangladesh) and Ministry of Textiles and Jute official portal (motj.gov.bd). INSERCO also confirms Dr M.A. Mannan held the DG (Additional Charge) position as National Delegate to the International Sericultural Commission (no date given, reflects an earlier period). DG Md Anwar Hussain confirmed in New Age Bangladesh October 2024 report; DG Shafiqul Islam named in BSS September 2025 report; DG Towfique Al Mahmud named in BSS February 2026 report -- the sequence suggests multiple DG appointments between 2024 and 2026. Towfique Al Mahmud is used as current_head given the most recent primary source (February 2026) names him as DG, but head_since is null as no appointment date was found. Staff count is null: the only figure available is that BSDB's own employees fell below 154 since 2024 per the BSS February 2026 district report quoting a Sub-Assistant Officer; 154 is an internal headcount reference, not a sanctioned establishment figure, and the national delegate record indicates the sector employs 0.65 million people across the supply chain (not BSDB employees). annual_budget_bdt is null: no standalone BSDB budget line was found in public FY2025-26 budget documents; expenditure is tracked only through ADP project allocations. The Geographical Indication (GI) status for Rajshahi Silk was granted in 2017, confirmed by the September 2025 BSS News revival report. Jamdani-silk integration: no specific BSDB policy on jamdani-silk integration was found in primary sources; sources mention 'Jamdani Katan' among silk products sold in Rajshahi showrooms, indicating informal market overlap, but no formal BSDB programme targeting jamdani integration was identified; this field was not fabricated. Data integrity note: the October 2024 New Age Bangladesh report included allegations from a former board official that BSDB annual report data was doctored; all production figures in this record are sourced from investigative reporting or INSERCO rather than BSDB's own annual reports.
Sources
- https://bsdb.gov.bd
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladesh_Sericulture_Development_Board
- https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php/Bangladesh_Sericulture_Board
- http://bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd/act-561.html
- https://inserco.org/en/bangladesh
- https://www.bssnews.net/others/368121
- https://www.bssnews.net/district/364561
- https://www.bssnews.net/news/311673
- https://www.bssnews.net/agriculture-news/212895
- https://www.newagebd.net/post/country/248092/tk-148cr-projects-fail-to-revive-silk-industry
- https://bsdb.teletalk.com.bd/
- https://bdgovtjob.net/bsdb-job-circular/