Do 'block plantation' in 100 acres: Borah

Bilaspur Division Commissioner Sonmoni Borah has directed officials to carry out ‘block plantation’ in a minimum of 100 acres of land in all districts of the division.Borah has also directed officials to accord priority to the saplings which help produce cocoons for producing silk threads.

He said that the silk culture activity would also promote eco-tourism which would benefit the beneficiaries involved with silk culture work too.Nearly 66,278 kgs of mulberry cocoons have been produced in the previous 2014-15, under Mulberry Silk Development and Expansion Scheme of State Government’s Rural Industry Department in the State, officials informed. The move benefitted as many as 3,457 beneficiaries.

Department officials informed that 74 centres are operating in the State under Mulberry Development and Expansion Scheme, wherein plantation of mulberry saplings on area of 696 acres is in progress.Mulberry saplings have also been planted on 60 acres of private land, under the scheme in the State.Beneficiaries are provided necessary aid and guidance for plantation of saplings on private land.

Officials further informed that presently, there are 11 banks and four yarn banks in the State, through which mulberry cocoon is procured.The State had announced in March this year that it has plans to massively increase production of Kosa-Silk with a view to providing employment to people residing in rural pockets of the State.

Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand had earlier written letters to all district collectors in this regard, officials stated. A  Committee would be formed in every district for implementation of the plan.The Chief Secretary stated that priority should be given to plantation of Kauha ( Arjun) and Saja saplings for promoting Kosa-Silk production. He said the officials must identify nurseries in advance for proposed plantations during the forthcoming monsoon season. 

Dhand  said 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 Tussar 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 has 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 Tussar Kosa cocoons have 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 Tasar Seed Production Centre.With this, beneficiaries of 60 families get additional income of about Rs 24,000. Besides, about 250 other families are linked with this Tassar Seed Production Centre, which take seeds from here and cultivates kosa cocoons on the natural Saal forests.

Arjun saplings were planted in the 10-acre 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.

In 30-acre land of this Centre, which is about 20 years old, about half-a-dozen women self-help groups have been farming silkworm on the Shahtut plants. 

Every year Mulberry silk cocoons worth Rs 7.5 lakh are prepared here. This amount is deposited directly in the account of women self-help groups. 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.

The State Government has expedited the drive to motivate people of rural areas to engage in silk industry. In the same sequence, around 225 metric tons of Tussar raw silk was produced in previous financial year 2014-15 under Tusssar Yarn Production Scheme.Department officials informed that in various  districts of state, 1,784 motorized reeling machines and 736 spinning machines have been allotted to around one thousand women members associated with 102 self-help groups.

These beneficiaries receive additional income of Rs 50-60 per day from yarn manufacturing. Officials said that the demand of Tussar yarn is increasing in the State, to meet which reeling and spinning machines are being deployed in private sector.They informed that these beneficiaries are providing month-long technical training free of cost. In the year 2014-15, 375 weavers were provided one crore three lakh units of Kosa fruits, and 665 beneficiaries associated with self-help groups were provided 1.31 crore units of Kosa fruits, through cocoon banks.

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.

 Every year, about 12 lakh Tussar (Kosa) silk cocoons bred on Arjun trees in the 68-hectare area of the Tasar Seed Production Centre. Moreover, Chhattisgarh now has as many as 151 Tussar silk project centres funded by the Japanese government operating in the State, officials informed.