The Chhattisgarh Government has decided to promote the production of Kosa in Durg district.
Significanttly, in Patan block’s Bohardih and Fekari villages on Monday Kosa worms were transferred to Arjun trees. There are around 5,000 Arjun trees in Bohardih.
Apart from this, the officials distributed the eggs and worms of Kosa among the farmers in both the villages during a camp. Around 20 lakh eggs were brought. later, the worms coming out from these eggs were kept on the Arjun trees.
The list of farmers who came forward for transferring the worms on Arjun trees include Ram Sahu, Devlal Yadav, Alakhram, Kamal Kumar and Balaram Thakur.
The Kosa production will not only benefit the farmers financially but also help in stopping the cutting of Arjun trees, stated officials. Interestingly, the farmers will not have to rely on agents for the selling of the produced Kosa.
The Administration has fixed the quality of the Kosa on the basis of its width per 70 paisa to 1.40 paisa. Around 100 Kosa can be produced from one tree in a span of two months. One tree can produce Kosa thrice a year.
Noticing the large number of Arjun trees in each village of Patan block, the administration will host more camps in the coming days.
About 2,500 metric tonnes of ‘Kosa Raw Silk’ had been targetted to be produced in Chhattisgarh in the current financial year, officials stated.
The produce would be sold both in the domestic and international markets, officials informed.
The Chhattisgarh Government is already in the process of preparing 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 this 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.
Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand wrote letters to all district collectors in this regard, officials stated.
The Chief Secretary stated in the letter 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 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 Tussar Kosa cocoons has been taken up in the natural Saal forests of the district.
Besides, Shahtuti silk is cultivated inthe 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.