Uncertainty in farming sector has increased due to constant climate change. This has caused apprehensions about loss to crops due to vagaries of weather. Despite this, sericulture is changing farmers’ views about farming in Khandwa district. Employment generation in rural areas is a challenging task. If the employment is agriculture-based, it can bring about change in villagers’ lives. Sericulture under Sericulture Sub-Plan of MNREGA is bringing about a pleasant change in the lives of farmers in Khandwa.
Trade of silkworm cocoons was very negligible in Khandwa district in 2012-13. But when farmers started taking interest in sericulture under MNREGA, quantum of this trades mounted to one lakh 33 thousand 800 kg in 2014-15. Sericulture production in the district started in 2013-14. Pandhana Janpad Panchayat’s 37 farmers and Punasa Janpad Panchayat’s 14 farmers were assisted to breed silkworms. They produced 24 thousand kg silk costing Rs60 lakh. In year 2014-15, benefit of the scheme was extended to 83 farmers of Pandhana Janpad, 39 Punasa Janpad, 23 Khalwa Janpad and 23 farmers of Baldi Janpad under MNREGA’s Sericulture Sub-Plan. This year, these farmers bred one lakh 63 thousand silk cocoon eggs and produced 97 thousand 800 kg silk costing about Rs2.44 crore. The silk is being purchased by Madhya Pradesh Silk Federation on the spot.
Silk Centres under MNREGA have provided silk production houses, irrigation facility and stands for silk production costing about Rs1.3 lakh to farmers. Mulberry saplings costing about Rs1. 87 lakh have also been made available to farmers. This year, 214 farmers in these development blocks are being motivated for sericulture. These farmers will produce one lakh 33 thousand 800 kg silk earning profit of Rs3.35 crore. Thus, every farmer will sell cocoons worth about Rs1.50 lakh each.