Bangladesh Sericulture Development Board

The board is currently focused on revitalizing the traditional silk industry by addressing production declines, worker wage dissatisfaction, and competition from imported silk.

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.