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SERICULTURE AT A GLANCE

Sericulture in Orissa is an agro based cottage industry. It is popular among rural households. SC/ST and rural households like commercially weakest section of the society practicing this culture to earn their livelihood.

Sericulture in Orissa includes both Mulberry and Vanyasilk. Tassar and Eri silk production comes under Vanya Silk. Tassar & Eri culture is traditional to the state, whereas Mulberry is nontraditional.

More than 40,000 Tassar rearers have organized 62 primary Tassar Rearers cooperative society. 15989 hectares of natural Assan & Arjun plantation and 6830 hectares of systematic Assan & Arjun block plantation were the natural resources to sustain this traditional culture in the state. Due to massive deforestation our natural wealth declined to 7620 hectares for Tassar silkworm rearing.

15 numbers of Pilot Project Centers have been setup in Tassar growing areas to cater the Basic seed demand of the seed rearers. To popularize the industry the CSB under Government of India has setup 4 Basic seed Multiplication & Training Centers (BSMTC) for quality seed supply and one REC to transfer technologies from lab to land.

Eri culture is practiced as a subsidiary occupation in limited pockets of the state, where castor is grown as oil seed crop. About 500 numbers of Eri farmers are actively involved in Eri culture, getting support through 12 numbers of Eri Centers and one Eri Rearer Co-operative Society. Three numbers of Government Eri Seed farmers have been setup to meet the requirement of commercial Eri silkworm rearers. 

Moriculture and Mulberry silkworm rearing is nontraditional to the state. seed farms and grainages have been established to provide backward linkage to the farmers. Mulberry Extension Service Centers (MESC) at Gram Panchayat level have been organized to provide inputs support and preparation of chawkiworms for subsequent supply to farmers of commercial crop. The Mulberry Rearers Co-operative Societies (MRCS) have been organized by the farmers at Block level, which is giving forward linkage to the farmers. For value addition 4 numbers of reeling infrastructures have been set up for utilization of farmers produce (Cocoon) and production of Raw Silk. This Raw Silk serves as the raw material in the handloom sector in the state. Government of Orissa is trying to stabilize the sector by introducing Mulberry varieties like, V₁, S₁ & C₁₇₃₀ under irrigated condition and high yielding variety of silkworm breeds like CSR hybrids. The Mulberry rearers of Orissa have started taking up CSR hybrids in two favorable season and three crops with cross breed (Multivoltine X Bivoltine) in unfavorable seasons. About 1500 farmers of the state are closely associated in Mulberry silkworm Rearing.

What is sericulture?       

                 

 Sericulture is an agro-based industry. It involves rearing of silkworms for the production of raw silk, which is the yarn obtained out of cocoons spun by certain species of insects. The major activities of sericulture comprises of food-plant cultivation to feed the silkworms which spin silk cocoons and reeling the cocoons for unwinding the silk filament for value added benefits such as processing and weaving.

Why sericulture? 

• High employment potential
• Provides vibrancy to village economics
• Low gestation, high returns
• Women friendly occupation
• Ideal programme for weaker sections of the society
• Eco-friendly activity
• Satisfy equity concerns

 High employment potential

 

• 60 lakh persons are engaged in various sericulture activities in the country
• Every 3.07 kg of silk produced and used in handlooms generates gainful employment of one man year.  This potential is par-excellence and no other industry generates this kind of employment, specially in rural areas, hence, sericulture is used as a tool for rural reconstruction.

Provides vibrancy to village economies

 

 

About 57 % of the gross value of silk fabrics flows back to the cocoon growers   with share of income to different groups as under:-

• 56.8 % to cocoon grower
• 6.8% to the reeler
• 9.1% to the twister
• 10.7% to the weaver
• 16.6% to the trade

Thus, large chunk of income goes back to the villages from the cities.

Low Gestation, High Returns

 

         

• Estimated investments of Rs.12,000 to 15,000 (excluding cost of land and rearing space) is sufficient for undertaking mulberry cultivation and silkworm rearing in one acre of irrigated land.
• Mulberry takes only six months to grow for commencement of silkworm rearing. Mulberry once planted will go on supporting silkworm rearing year after year for 15-20 years depending on inputs and management provided.
• Five crops can be taken in one year under tropical conditions.
• By adopting stipulated package of practices, a farmer can attain net income levels up to Rs.30000 per acre per annum.

            Women friendly Occupation  

 

                    

                    Women constitute over 60 % of those employed in down-stream activities of sericulture in the country.  This is possible because sericulture activities starting from mulberry garden management, leaf harvesting and silkworm rearing is more effectively taken up by the women folk. Even silk reeling industry including weaving is largely supported by them.

            Ideal Programme for Weaker Sections of the Society

                  

          

Sericulture can be practiced even with very low land holding.

• ¾ acre of mulberry garden and silkworm rearing can support a family of three without hiring labour.
• Features such as low gestation, high returns make sericulture an ideal programme for weaker sections of the society.
• Vast tracts of forest based tasar food plantations available in the country, if judiciously exploited for rearing tasar silkworms, can offer supplementary gainful employment for tribals.

             Eco-friendly Activity      

• As a perennial crop with good foliage and root-spread, mulberry contributes to soil conservation and provides green cover.
• Waste from silkworm rearing can be recycled as inputs to garden.
• Dried mulberry twigs and branches are used as fuel in place of firewood and therefore reduce the pressure on vegetation/forest.
• Being a labour intensive and predominantly agro-based activity, involvement of smoke-emitting machinery is minimal.
• Developmental programmes initiated for mulberry plantation are mainly in upland areas where un-used cultivable land is made productive.
• Mulberry can also be cultivated as intercrop with numerous plantations.
• Mulberry being a deep-rooted perennial plant can be raised in vacant lands, hill slopes and watershed areas.
• Currently, only about 0.1 % of the arable land in the country is under mulberry cultivation.

             Satisfies Equity Concerns 

                      Benefits of sectoral value-addition primarily accrue to rural households. As the end-product users are mostly from the higher economic groups, the money flows from high end groups to low end groups.
 

   Cases of landless families engaged in cocoon production using mulberry contracted from local farmers are common in some states.