UTEXRWA

Silk worm eggs.
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Through another Rotary Club contact, Jill and Neil arranged for us a tour of the UTEXRWA textile factory in Kigali.

The forward-thinking manager of this factory has introduced sericulture and silk production to Rwanda. Over the past few years, he has flown in sericulture experts from India and other silk-producing regions of the world to evaluate the feasibility of silk production in Rwanda, set up an experimental mulberry plantation and silk production lab, and concluded that the climate in Rwanda is perfect for this new venture. Backed by the science, he has negotiated with Paul Kagame for the government to set aside several thousand acres of land for mulberry farming and sericulture, and is preparing to commence silk production this year.

Silk worms, only a few hours old, munching their way through a mulberry leaf.
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We toured the factory, learning about the production of cotton and polyester textiles---from raw material to dyeing and pressing of the fabric---as well as the new silk production lab.