On December 16, 2022, Uganda sent its first silk yarn brand samples, branded Usilk, for testing on the European market. The target was to meet the specifications for Grade 6A, the best quality silk globally, as a basis for commercial production. Usilk did not make it to the highest grade, which accounts for only between one and three per cent of global silk production.
But the good news is that the recently released results from the grading of the samples have indicated that Uganda’s silk yarn is within the commercial grades. To be specific, Uganda’s yarn was Grade A. Grade A silk is the best quality silk with long strands, with a luminous pearl white colour that is free from impurities. It glistens in the light and a single thread of silk can stretch to kilometer in length in its natural form. It is lightweight and when woven into a silk fabric it keeps the fabric breathable and completely smooth to touch.
Silk is known as queen of fabric and the most expensive. Silk’s absorbency makes it comfortable to wear in warm weather and while active. Its low conductivity keeps warm air close to the skin during cold weather. It is often used for clothing such as shirts, ties, blouses, formal dresses, high-fashion clothes, lining, lingerie, pajamas, robes, dress suits, sun dresses, and traditional Asian clothing. Silk is also excellent for insect-proof clothing, protecting the wearer from mosquitoes and horseflies. The silk yarn we are producing is also useful in furniture particularly in upholstery, wall coverings, window treatments, rugs, beddings and wall hangings. In industry, silk has many applications, including in parachutes, bicycle tires, comforter fillings, and artillery gunpowder bags.
Under grade A, Silk is classified into A- 6A, and the higher the number, the better the quality. Silk grade 6A account for approximately three per cent and grade 5A account for approximately seven per cent. Silk quality standards are ranked according to the uniformity of yarn, minimal impurities, minimal fluff, tensile strength and elongation.
Produced by Tropical Institute of Development Innovations (TRIDI) with funding from Government of Uganda, the raw silk which Uganda is currently producing is divided into 11 grades: 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A, A, B, C, D, E, and F. The Usilk count or denier size of the samples sent to the European market was 25.2D.
According to Clet Wandui Masiga, the Executive Director and Sericulture Project Principal Investigator at the Tropical Institute of Development Innovations (TRIDI), this silk yarn was “excellent considering the specifications used in the production was 19-33 denier” and the sample had “high cuts per kg of silkyarn and more impurities.”
“Uganda is now ready to begin commercial silk yarn production. 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,” Masiga told reporters at TRIDI head office in Kyabakadde, Mukono District.
“I 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. We are very proud of these results and we have produced this within the target timeframe. This is as a result of Financial Support from the President of the Republic of Uganda, H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, to Scientists through the Innovation Fund. It is the first project of the 17 innovation fund projects funded in FY2017/2018 to produce a commercial product. We are grateful to Parliament of Uganda that has continued to appropriate funds to this project and the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development for releasing the funds. We are also grateful to the relevant government of Uganda Ministries and agencies that have ensured the released funds are transferred to TRIDI and are used for the intended purposes.”
Masiga further explained that on receiving the grading results, they technical teams quickly gathered for an evaluation. From the quick evaluation, Masiga says the team quickly came up with a list of challenges that affected their performance and made Uganda’s silk yarn fall short of the highest grade.
“Our staff have just been trained and they are still perfecting their skills. The cocoons used had over stayed resulting in more cuts. The water used was both dirty and hard water. The hardness of water affects essentially the surface characteristics of the raw silk colour, luster softness etc. Silk reeled in hard water poses difficulty in dyeing since a greater quantity of soap is to be used for degumming. Rain water is not considered suitable for reeling. Even in the factory itself hard water creates a buildup that is difficult to clean weekly on the machines with detergent and this leftover build up and affects the silk yarn,” he explained.
“Some of the cocoons used was produced using mulberry that had not been managed well due to several management challenges experienced from June 2021 to December 2022. Cocoon harvest and storage was not excellent resulting into molds or stains. These stains affect the final result. The processing factory is not completed well and needs facelift which will improve the production environment. At present the walls are not plastered and there is a lot of dust that enters the production facility.”
Masiga assured Ugandans that TRIDI technical teams have already begun working on the challenges so as to ensure that they produce Usilk grade 6A, which is the world’s best, which automatically fetches the best price on the market. The lowest price for the lowest grade of silk yarn is USD30 per kg. The best is USD 120 per kilogram. If Uganda does not achieve the highest grade, the country will keep earning the lowest price per kilo, the same price for all the low grades: F, E, D, C, B, A, 2A, 3A, 4A, and 5A.
He went on to explain that once the team at TRIDI has perfected grade 6A production skills, Uganda’s current 2300 mulberry acreage will produce nearly 100 metric tons of silk yarn. Maintaining Grade 6A means that the country will earn $12m (about Shs43.2bn) every year. This is way higher than the average grade which fetches $5m (about Shs18bn) annually. Masiga further noted that with this silk acreage, the project will directly employ 3000 people whose minimum wage bill will be Shs10.8bn. In return, government will earn Shs2bn in taxes every year.
In Masiga’s view, “we should not have a problem to get the best after all we produce the best mulberry and best cocoons.” He added: “The quality begins from the garden. To get the best quality brand, the formula begins from the garden followed by the best breeds of silkworm, then best rearing conditions, cocoon handling and processing.”
The TRIDI boss further revealed that the silk engineers, investors and entrepreneurs from Europe where the test was done are expected in Uganda next month. This team of experts from Europe will visit the Ugandan silk factory to examine cocoon quality, machine and production environment. At the end of their visit these engineers, investors and entrepreneurs will make suggestions in order to improve the quality as Masiga and his team work towards producing Grade 6A silk yarn. Ugandan engineers and technical teams have also been undergoing training in basic production skills, which training was being conducted by Chinese engineers.
“We shall continue to enhance our skills tailored based on the market specifications. Next month we shall have the European silk entrepreneurs and engineers. They are coming from where the test was done, so they can see cocoon quality, machine and production environment. This way they can provide suggestion in order to improve the quality to produce Grade 6A silk yarn,” Masiga revealed.
You can read our previous reporting on Uganda’s silk project Here.
