ANN ARBOR, Mich. — July 31, 2018 — Kraig Biocraft Laboratories Inc., a developer of spider silk based fibers, announces today that work has begun under the collaborative agreement signed between the company and several farming cooperatives in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam. As part of the agreement reported earlier this month, these farming cooperatives have now begun planting mulberry. This mulberry is the key input for the company’s newly formed subsidiary, Prodigy Textiles, its proprietary hybrid silkworms, and the commercialization of the company’s recombinant spider silk materials.
Silkworms are voracious eaters, consuming more than 100 kilograms of mulberry leaves for every kilogram of finished silk produced. For this reason, transportation logistics and local sourcing of mulberry are core to the company’s strategic plan. Under these agreements the company expects that as many as 2,500 hectares (~6177 acres) of mulberry will be planted near the company’s new factory, supporting Prodigy Textiles spider silk production for several years to come.
“Planting these mulberry fields means that we are now able to support rearing our hybrid silkworms at Prodigy Textiles,” said Jon Rice, COO. “Access to large quantities of fresh mulberry is a core piece of our production growth strategy and was a key element of our decision to select Vietnam for commercializing our spider silk technology. The local farming cooperatives have the existing capacity to meet Prodigy’s mulberry needs over the coming months. These additional plantings provide us with the confidence that we will be able to maintain our scale up plans for years to come, while also providing these farmers with sustaining and reliable income.”
Posted July 31, 2018
Source: Kraig Biocraft Laboratories Inc.
