Sericulture, or
silk farming, is the rearing of
silkworms for the production of
silk. Although there are several commercial species of silkworms,
Bombyx mori is the most widely used and intensively studied silkworm. Silk was first produced in China as early as the
Neolithic period. Sericulture has become an important
cottage industry in countries such as
Brazil,
China,
France,
India,
Italy,
Japan, Korea, and Russia. Today, China and India are the two main producers, with more than 60% of the world's annual production.