The old tradition of extracting silk threads from cocoons cultivated in Sal forest of Bastar is still observed here. Despite bumper cocoon production, cultivators and farmers of the region were not benefitted as they required proper training, whereas the traders and the middlemen who were involved in the trading of cocoons kept minting money.
The initiative taken by the department of silk industries almost three decades back has now started yielding results in favour of the poor farmers and cultivators involved in sericulture. Regional farmers are promoted and provided proper training for sericulture and in response to the creative efforts farmers have been reaping handsome income during all these years.
Farmers have started taking interest in cocoon production and department is allocating cocoon seeds to the interested farmers, leading to considerable increase in the number of families involved in sericulture as well as their augmented earnings.
A total of 574 families in 36 villages of Bastar district are earning their livelihood through the sericulture. last year more than three lakh 36 thousand silkworms were produced in seed augmentation and training centres. Currently 265 small farmers are being trained for sericulture.