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Livelihood/ Employment | Dindigul farmers take to sericulture in a big way -K Raju

Dindigul farmers take to sericulture in a big way -K Raju

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published Published on Oct 20, 2014   modified Modified on Oct 20, 2014
-The Hindu

Plea for cocoon procurement facility, silk reeling centre

Dindigul (Tamil Nadu): Better procurement price, good yield in a short gestation period and stable market for cocoons throughout the year - all these factors have attracted many farmers to take up sericulture.

Rapid expansion of sericulture farms has pushed Dindigul district to the third place in the State in cocoon production. Koovanuthu Pudur near Saanaarpatti is a major cocoon production centre in the district. Sericulturists here have been blessed with adequate water, fertile soil and simple silk worm rearing techniques.

One of them, K. Thembadi, says, "The level of risk-taking has come down since the procurement price is stable for white cocoons. Earlier, we had to buy eggs and protect worms from its birth to cocoon stage. The first two stages used to be daunting for farmers. Now, private units at Saanaarpatti do the job of protecting the worms in the first two stages and supply stable and healthy 12-day-old worms at our doorstep," he says.

"We can harvest cocoons on the 21st day after the worm's birth. Adoption of natural pest control measures help protect worms till they attain the cocoon stage. We can get a yield of 140 kg to 150 kg per harvest. Each farmer can harvest seven to eight harvests in a year," he adds.

"Lack of procurement centre is the only handicap. We have to transport cocoons to Dharmapuri, Salem, Ramanathapuram, Ramanagara in Bangalore and other places for sale," says K. Ramasamy, a farmer.

"We spend Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 3,500 for freight alone. We cannot keep the stock. We have to sell it within five days after harvest. If not, butterfly will break the cocoon and fly off. Reelers cannot draw yarn from damaged cocoons," he adds.

In 2001, a cocoon procurement centre was set up at the Dindigul sericulture office. But response from the traders response was poor. So it was closed. Similarly, a private silk reeling unit was set up to utilise local cocoon production. It also met the same fate," he says.

The total area under sericulture in Palani, Oddanchtram, Saanaarpatti, Vedasandur and Batlagundu is 2,985 acres.

Sericulturists want the government to establish a cocoon procurement centre and encourage entrepreneurs to set up a private silk reeling centre in Dindigul to utilise local cocoon production and to cut transport cost.

Collector N. Venkatachalam has advised officials to provide all assistance to the farmers to boost sericulture. A model sericulture farm, set up recently at C.K. Pudur, has been supplying mulberry saplings to farmers and giving training to them," says V. Sachidanandham, Assistant Director, Department of Sericulture.

The Hindu, 15 October, 2014, http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamiln
adu/dindigul-farmers-take-to-sericulture-in-a-big-way/arti
cle6502442.ece


The Hindu, 15 October, 2014, http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/dindigul-farmers-take-to-sericulture-in-a-big-way/article6502442.ece


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