Guangxi's Yizhou, a region holding a significant share of China's sericulture industry, faces an awkward reality: 396,000 mu of mulberry fields and 18 cocoon silk processing enterprises, yet most remain stuck in raw silk primary processing, lacking grey silk dyeing and terminal deep processing capabilities, forcing semi-finished products to be shipped out. This is not a simple capacity gap but a loss of value chain distribution rights.
Data Behind the Industrial Fault Line
Yizhou boasts approximately 396,000 mu of mulberry fields and 18 cocoon silk processing enterprises, with strong cocoon digestion capacity but a monolithic industrial structure. Most enterprises focus on raw silk primary processing, with insufficient grey silk dyeing and terminal deep processing, and some semi-finished products require external processing. What does this mean? It means Yizhou only occupies the lowest value-added segment in the chain of cocoon-silk-grey-dyeing-apparel/home textiles. The bulk of profits are taken by external dyeing plants and brand owners.
More notably, in cooperative operations, the core challenge remains how to convert mulberry fields, silkworm houses, and labor into equitable distribution. This directly affects farmers' enthusiasm and the industry's organizational level. Without transparent benefit distribution mechanisms, farmer income lacks institutional guarantees, and industrial upgrading loses its grassroots support.
Enterprise Divide: Primary vs. Deep Processing
The survey team compared two types of enterprises: those focused on raw silk and Guangxi Jialian Silk Company, which has expanded into weaving, home textiles, cultural products, and industrial tourism, demonstrating stronger brand building and deep processing capabilities. This comparison reveals a stark reality: under similar resource endowments, enterprise choices determine outcomes.
For buyers, this means supply chain selection needs reassessment. If local Yizhou enterprises can only offer raw silk, buyers must consider the cost and lead time of external processing. But collaborating with companies like Jialian might provide direct access to finished fabrics or home textile products, shortening supply chains and reducing logistics costs.
For factories, the key to transformation lies in coordinating equipment, experience, and market. The observed full process of fresh cocoon purchasing, cocoon boiling, silk reeling, re-reeling, silk spinning, and raw silk packaging shows that primary processing is mature, but extending to deep processing requires new equipment investment, technical accumulation, and market channels. This is not achieved overnight.
Policy and Market: Dual Drivers for Upgrade Window
Information from the Yizhou Sericulture Circular Economy Development Center shows that local government has recognized the problem and attempts to promote industrial upgrading through circular economy models. Historical achievements and recycling outcomes are displayed in exhibitions, but translating this awareness into corporate action still requires policy guidance and market incentives.
Currently, growing domestic and international demand for high-end silk products provides a window for Yizhou's industrial upgrading. If local enterprises seize the opportunity to extend into grey silk dyeing, home textiles, and cultural products, they can enhance added value and boost local employment and farmer income. But the premise is resolving technical, financial, and talent bottlenecks.