The Hindu Business Line : Multi-pronged strategy to boost sericulture

A MULTI-PRONGED strategy to achieve the target of 6,000-tonne bivoltine production of silk by the end of the Tenth Plan (2006-07) has been chalked out, the Union Textiles Minister, Mr Kashiram Rana, has said.

Presiding over the consultative committee attached to the Ministry here today, Mr Rana underlined the need for market reforms and deregulation of sericulture marketing by the States so that contract farming and producer-user link could be firmly set.

He also emphasised the need for certification of quality in seed cocoon and commercial seed production and supply. systems for quality certification would have to be established along the lines of ISO. This was needed to expand seed supplies and stabilise production with assurance to the farmers against diseases and epidemics. A massive input of technology in reeling and weaving was of utmost urgency, he said, adding that the overall productive potential of bivoltine could be realised only if the cocoon was reeled and woven on machine with appropriate technologies. He said efforts to introduce technologies were being made by the Central Silk Board through the introduction of multi-end reeling machines and the Ministry of Finance had also helped by reducing the import duty on sericulture equipment and machines.

In his remarks, the Minister of State for Textiles, Mr Dhananjaya Kumar, said India produced all four known commercially exploited varieties of silk — mulberry, tassar, eri and muga.

He informed members that with the newly developed tropical bivoltine technology, regions suitable for bivoltine cocoon cultivation had been identified and special programmes formulated for upgrading farmer-level infrastructure such as independent silkworm rearing houses, modern rearing and cocooning equipment and drip irrigation kits.

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