The BBC reported that due to the Sichuan earthquake, the shortage of raw silk imported from China caused the Indian silk industry to hit hard. This affects about 1 million Indian and 60,000 villages in the silk industry. India's Silk Export Promotion Association said that India annually imports 10,000 tons of raw silk from China and produces nearly 16,000 tons of silk yarn in the country. The recent earthquake in Sichuan destroyed most of the mulberry fields. China is not only unable to meet domestic demand but also unsatisfied Indian demand. Before the earthquake, India imported raw silk yarn from China at a price of 20-21 US dollars per kilogram, after the earthquake prices rose at least 6 US dollars. Many in India's silk industry believe that the government should now relax raw silk import tax from China.