About 5,000 families cultivate silk in Afghanistan -- harvesting silkworm cocoons that are then spun into yarn. <br /><br />Most of these cocoons are exported abroad, with about 40 percent spun into thread in Afghanistan. <br /><br />Some are then weaved into shawls and exported, mostly to Europe.<br /><br />The silkworms themselves are a valuable product, with 200 tonnes produced each year, according to officials.<br /><br />But Afghans who work with silk -- many who have done so all their lives -- are pitting their wares up against cheap Chinese imports, with local traditional methods struggling to stay afloat.
