The Central Government has approved an Integrated “Soil to Silk” Tasar project in Janjgir-Champa district of Chhattisgarh with a total financial outlay of Rs 68.53 crore for a period of three years from 2016-17 to 2018-19, the Central Government has informed.
The project involves Central Government's share of Rs 22.88 crore, against which Rs 86.91 lakh have been released to Chhattisgarh State till 2016-17 for implementation of the project, it informed.
The project envisages to develop 2,500 hectares of new block Tasar plantations and maintenance of 2,000 hectares. of existing block plantations in forest/community land, besides support for building forward and backward linkages to facilitate basic and commercial seed production, supply of rearing appliances and disinfectant for disease management to Tasar rearers for ensuring crop productivity, cocoon storage facilities, supply of buniyaad reeling machines, reelers collectives, cocoon bank, marketing support and capacity building of the farmers, seed producers, reelers and weavers in the project area.
Actions have been taken during 2016-17 for shifting of Central Silk Board’s Research Extension Centre, Kathghora to Champa for providing technological support and training to the project for implementing pre-cocoon components of the project, raising of new Tasar block plantations in 570 hectares. area with assistance from Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) Scheme of Department of Forest, distribution of 105 Buniyaad Reeling machines to the reelers to eliminate practice of thigh reeling, organizing two day “Technology Demonstration” on newly developed reeling/ spinning machine at Champa and training of 160 weavers for enhancing skill in silk weaving and related activities.
Notably, the Sericulture Division of State Government's Village Industries Department produced 18.13 crore units of Kosa under 'Kosa Production and Collection Scheme' in 2016-17, officials informed.
Under the scheme, 76,622 people were given employment and Rs 60.16 crore was distributed as wages to them.
Department officials informed that Chhattisgarh has been the leading State in terms of Kosa fabric production.
Kosa fabric produced in Chhattisgarh has demand both in India and abroad.
In the current financial year 2017-18, the State Government has set the target of producing 22. 50 crore units of Kosa, providing employment to nearly 85,000 people and paid Rs 75.27 crore as wages.
Under Tassar Silk Development and Expansion Scheme of Chhattisagrh Government's Village Industries Department, nearly 14.63 crore units of Kosa was produced in previous fiscal year 2015-16, officials informed.
Kosa production has earned income of Rs 28.54 crore for 41,814 beneficiaries.
In Chhattisgarh, natural Kosa is produced in Bastar (Jagdalpur), Kondagaon, Narayanpur, South Bastar (Dantewada), Bijapur, North Bastar (Kanker), Janjgir-Champa, Bilaspur, Korba, Surajpur, Koriya, Raigarh, Jashpur, Raipur, Gariaband, Balodabazar-Bhatapara, Mahasamund, Dhamtari, Rajnandgaon, Durg, Balod and Kabeerdham districts. The natural silk produced in natural forest blocks without human interference, is collected by forest dwelling tribal families and sold in open Haat-bazaars.
Notably, about 2,500 metric tonnes of ‘Kosa Raw Silk’ was targetted to be produced in Chhattisgarh during 2014-15.
The produce , it was decided, was to be sold both in the domestic and international markets.
The Chhattisgarh government last year also decided to prepare an action plan titled ‘ Tussar Resham Vision 2020-21’ to augment silk production.
As per the action plan, both the State Forest Department and Village Industries Department would plant Kosa saplings in 50,000 hectares of land during the coming years.
In March last year the Chhattisgarh government drew up plans to massively increase production of Kosa-Silk with a view to providing employment to people residing in rural pockets of the State.
State Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand wrote letters to all district collectors in this regard.
The Chief Secretary had stated in the letter that priority should be given to plantation of Kauha (Arjun) and Saja saplings for promoting Kosa-Silk production.
Dhand had stated that Kosa-Cocoon production would be profitable when the training for threads and weaving is given at the site of Kosa production.
It may be mentioned that Chhattisgarh now has one ‘Raw Material Bank’ for Tassar silk established in Raigarh district, according to the 2013-14 annual report of the Union Ministry of Textiles.
The primary objective of the ‘Raw Material Bank’ is to ensure economic and fair price for the primary Tussar Silk growers, it stated.
In Chhattisgarh, Silk farming as become an additional source of income for the farmers of insurgency infested Bastar district, officials informed. Taking benefit of the silk development schemes of the Village Industries Department of the State government, the villagers of the district have proved it by their hard work, officials stated.
Abundant production of Tassar Kosa cocoons has been taken up in the natural Saal forests of the district. Besides, Shahtuti silk is cultivated in the villages.
Arjun saplings were planted in the 10-acres of land of Silk Directorate in Bade Garvand village, in which the self-help group (SHG) Ma Vamandei Kosa Krimi Palan had been farming Tasar Kosa.
The Silk Centre operated in Bade Marenga village of the district is also playing an important role in making villagers self-reliant economically.