The story
Sualkuchi, a weaving village on the north bank of the Brahmaputra near Guwahati, is known as the 'Manchester of Assam'. Most households work on handlooms, weaving mekhela chador and sarees from golden muga, white pat (mulberry) and eri silk. Muga silk is found almost only in Assam, and Muga Silk of Assam was one of the earliest GIs from the North East. The state runs a mulberry yarn bank in Sualkuchi to give weavers subsidised yarn.
In numbers
Assam produces 97% of India's muga silk and 65% of its eri silk.
Assam state profile (Invest India) · 2026ARTFED's mulberry yarn bank at Sualkuchi selected 4,833 weaver beneficiaries from four gaon panchayats and sells them yarn at a 20% subsidised rate.
Mulberry Yarn Bank, Sualkuchi (ARTFED, Govt of Assam)Muga Silk of Assam was registered as a GI in 2007-08 under application number 55, and its logo in 2013-14 under application number 384.
Registration Details of Geographical Indications (GI Registry, IP India) · 2026
GI tag
- Muga Silk of AssamApplication no. GI Application No. 55Registration Details of Geographical Indications (GI Registry, IP India)
- Muga Silk of Assam (Logo)Application no. GI Application No. 384Registration Details of Geographical Indications (GI Registry, IP India)
Ways in for a newcomer
- Yarn trading and dyeing services for weavers
- Online and export sale of GI muga and pat silk
- Design, finishing and packaging for mekhela chador brands
- Weaving-village tourism near Guwahati
Problems the cluster faces
- Rising prices of mulberry, tasar and muga yarn
- Cheap power-loom copies of Sualkuchi designs
- Low pay and long hours for hired, often migrant, weavers
Businesses to start here
Handloom and Handicrafts Retail Shop →Handloom Gamcha (Loin Cloth) →Shawls, Stoles, Scarves and Wraps →Regional Speciality Products E-commerce Marketplace →Community-Based Village Tourism →