Question

what is the demand of silk and cotton in the international market?

Answer 1

Silk has a miniscule percentage of the global textile fibre market-less than 0.2%. 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. (The precise global value is difficult to assess, since reliable data on finished silk products is lacking in most importing countries.) To give an idea of the value, however, the annual turnover of the China National Silk Import and Export Corporation alone is US$ 2-2.5 billion.

Unlike some other textiles, silk-wearing traditions and demand go back a long way. A good example is India, where the local demand greatly exceeds supply (and hampers export growth). 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. This pattern is also expected to repeat itself in Viet Nam.