The Hindu : Front Page : TN spins success story in silk despite power crisis

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Sunday, Dec 28, 2008
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TN spins success story in silk despite power crisis

R. Ilangovan

SALEM: Global meltdown and power deficit have not rattled silk industry in Tamil Nadu. Raw silk production, containing cross breed yellow silk and the enchanting Bivoltine white silk, is expected to be around 1,500 tonnes this year against last year’s production of 1,300 tonnes. Tamil Nadu’s share in the total production of white silk is 25 per cent which is the highest in the country.

Thanks to enthusiastic farmers, mulberry cultivation has also increased manifold from a mere 15,000 acres in 2006 to a staggering 35,000, cocoon production from 5,700 tonnes in 2006 to 10,000 tonnes this year, thus surpassing the past targets.

Sericulture Commissioner Harmander Singh, who recently attended the International Sericulture Conference in Athens, said till recently about 50 per cent of the cocoons produced here were being sent to Karnataka for sale owing to non-availability of adequate silk reeling units. But of late the Tamil Nadu Government had undertaken various measures, particularly in the silk reeling sector, which included revival of closed units in the government, cooperative and private sectors and expansion of the existing ones besides adding new units, Mr. Singh said.

At present 30,000 farmers are engaged in sericulture in Tamil Nadu, cultivating mulberry in 35,000 acres providing employment to 1.50 lakh families.

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