The District Administration here has aggressively started planning to motivate farmers of the region to take up Sericulture activities as a source of income. District Collector Dr Basavraju S. recently held a meeting here to discuss the possibility of promoting Sericulture in the region.
Deliberations were held in respect of Sericulture and availability of land for plantation, preparing nursery, and to motivate the farmers. The officers of Sericulture Department stated in the meeting that in villages Tohadi and Temhari of Nawagarh development block, on the government land, the department would plant saplings of Arjun and Saja.
The ‘Rojgar Sahayaks’ (Employment Messengers) of Gram Panchayat would be made the Messenger for promoting Sericulture activities in the region. They would be trained to inspire the farmers for producing silk.
In the meeting it was emphasized to identify government land in all the four development blocks and plant the saplings of Arjun and Saja. In the meeting the officers were also directed to encourage the farmers for producing silk in the district.
Notably, last year, the Chhattisgarh government had planned to significantly push up employment avenues in the field of Sericulture through a clearly thought out action plan. Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand had earlier directed officials for increasing silk production in the State while opening job prospects in the field for about 5.50 lakh people in Chhattisgarh .
In a meeting at the Mantralaya in Naya Raipur, which was attended by Commissioner, Collector and Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs), the Chief Secretary issued directives to officials for preparing proposals for purchasing cocoons and machines from CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority) project so that silk production could receive a boost.
Ishita Rai, Member Secretary Central Silk Board Bangalore who was also present in the meeting had offered suggestions for increasing silk production in Chhattisgarh.
“For increasing silk production appropriate machines should be installed along with production of silk thread cocoons,” she had stated and assured that for this purpose the Central Silk Board will provide all possible help.
The Chief Secretary, in the meeting had also stressed upon linking more and more woman self-help groups (SHGs) with silk production. For silk cocoons production plantation would be carried out in Arjun and Saja under MGNREGA.
Dhand also directed district collectors to visit Jharkhand and inspect silk production going on over there. Information about silk production going on in Bastar, Janjgir-Champa, Kanker, Surguja, Ambikapur, Mahasamund and Rajnandgaon was also provided to the Chief Secretary. A presentation dealing with silk production and promotion along with preparing of cloths from silk threads was given by officers from Central Silk Board.
It may be mentioned that nearly 2,596 beneficiaries have availed the Mulberry Development and Expansion Scheme of Chhattisgarh government during the previous financial year (2013-14), officials said. Around 65,000 kilogram Mulberry Cocoon and 8 metric tonnes of Mulberry Silk was produced last year.
State Village Industries Department officials informed that the beneficiaries were provided required materials worth Rs27,120 for plantation on private land, along with the free of cost technical assistance. About 1804 acres of land is available under Silk Development and Expansion scheme, out of which 635 acres is suitable for plantation.
Presently, 73 silk centres, three Mulberry grainage, five reeling units, five twisting units, one Research Centre and 10 cocoon banks and four yarn banks are operating in the State. Moreover, Chhattisgarh also now has as many as 151 Tussar silk project centres funded by the Japanese government operating in the State, officials informed.
Tussar silk plantation had been taken up in 2980 hectares under Japan aided Tussar Project, they stated. Under the Tussar Silk Development and Expansion Scheme of State Government’s Rural Industry Department, nearly 1.2 lakh beneficiaries have been benefited during the previous financial year 2013-14.
Nearly 26.31 crore units of Kosa were produced in the previous year and total 394 metric tonnes of threads were produced from these Kosa fruits. Around Rs19.21 crore have been spent on this scheme. Department officials informed that the total Kosa produced last year includes 5.83 crore units of Tussar cocoon and 20.48 lakh units of natural Kosa.
Presently, total 139 Tussar centres are operating in the State, which includes 43 pilot project, 84 other Tussar centres and 12 Kosa seed centres.
Under this scheme, nearly 11,656 hectare area is available for Tussar plantation, including 3276.50 hectare under departmental centres, 1291.50 hectares under MNREGS, 4801 hectares under natural forest areas.
This apart, silk farming as become an additional source of income for many farmers of Bastar district. Abundant production of Tussar Kosa cocoons has been taken up in the natural Saal forests of the district. Besides, Shahtuti silk is cultivated in the villages.
The Silk Directorate has been providing jobs to 300 families, working as various self-help groups (SHGs), in the Tussar Seed Production Centre, in Chapka village of the district.
Every year, about 12 lakh Tussar (Kosa) silk cocoons bred on Arjun trees in the 68-hectare area of the Tussar Seed Production Centre. With this, beneficiaries of 60 families get additional income of about Rs24,000. Besides, about 250 other families are linked with this Tussar Seed Production Centre, which take seeds from the Centre and cultivate Kosa cocoons on the natural Saal forests.
The Silk Directorate operates Cocoon Bank and Silk Kosa Threading Centre in Dharampur village of Bastar district. A total of 30 machines were installed at the Centre for Kosa threading, on which 28 beneficiaries are working.
In another Centre, silk thread production works are done through ‘Matka Pulling System’, in which 22 beneficiaries are working. As such, the Centre has become bread-earner for 50 families.
In 2010-11, the officers of Silk Directorate, by organizing awareness camps in villages, had imparted training to the villagers in producing ‘Raily Kosa’. Thereafter, by launching a campaign with the assistance of the villagers, 25 lakh butterflies were released in Saal forests. As a result, 7.10 crore ‘Raily Kosa’ were produced in 2011-12 and 7.20 crore in the year 2012-13.