Adivasis engaged in Tasar culture, the traditional occupation involving rearing of silkworms on the trees - Terminalia tomentosa and Terminalia arjuna in the forest fringe areas of Bhadrachalam division, are struggling to sustain their traditional means of livelihood.
The Bhadrachalam Agency enjoyed a coveted status as the hub of tasar culture owing to its long tracts of forests and traditional expertise of Adivasis in rearing silkworms naturally, in the past.
However, the area under the eco-friendly forest-based income generation activity has dwindled drastically in the agency areas following the transfer of the core tasar growing areas to the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh as mandated by the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014.
Area declines
According to sources, the area under the tasar culture in Bhadrachalam Agency has declined from little over 2,000 acres to barely a few hundred acres now.
The tasar silkworm rearing activity is mainly concentrated in Venkatapuram mandal, partly in Dummugudem and Wajedu mandals in the division. The implementation of various measures on the part of the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Bhadrachalam, and other agencies concerned in providing the inputs and financial support to members of the Adivasi women self-help groups notwithstanding, the vibrant income generation potential of tasar farming, has remained untapped fully in the Agency areas.
Disputes over the ownership of some lands, which were earlier allotted for tasar culture more than two decades ago in Venkatapuram mandal had become major hurdles to the promotion of tasar farming in Veerabhadraram and Lakshminagaram in the mandal, sources said.
The decades old tasar host trees had become too old to support the tasar silkworm rearing activity, says tasar rearer Suresh of Ramachandrapuram.
Our Adivasis have the traditional expertise of rearing silkworms naturally in perfect harmony with nature. If given proper encouragement, we will expand the tasar rearing activity, reap rich harvest of cocoon crop and become financially self-reliant, he says.
We are extending subsidies towards provision of inputs to the tasar rearers and providing training to them to improve the cocoon yield, says G. Anasuya, Assistant Director, Sericulture, Bhadrachalam.
Tasar host plants are being planted as part of the tree plantation drive to improve the forest cover, she adds.
