Tamil Nadu’s annual requirement of silk is nearly 3,000 tonnes. However, just about two-thirds are produced here and the rest are either purchased from other States or imported from China.
So, for the Directorate of Sericulture, the focus is on the post-cocoon activities, encouraging setting up of more silk reeling units.
Subsidy
With just three automatic silk reeling units operational in Tamil Nadu as against 25 in Karnataka, the Directorate plans to help four more units come up this year. These industries will get subsidy from the Central and the State Governments, says Sericulture Director P. Sri Venkada Priya. Apart from automatic silk reeling units, the department has drafted plans for 25 multi-end reeling units too.
Tamil Nadu has 46,570 acres under mulberry and, “We plan to add 10,000 acres under mulberry this year,” adds the director. It is the leading State in bivoltine silk production. With the interventions of the department for the last few years through support for infrastructure and implements, several farmers are evincing interest in mulberry cultivation. A lot of women take care of cocoon rearing in farms and the directorate wants to encourage and support women in this sector, she says.
In an effort to boost cocoon production, the department wants to link mulberry growers and entrepreneurs who can rear cocoon in sheds already established but not used by farmers.
Apart from the efforts by the Government, the prices of silk and cocoon have been on the rise for the last three years.
Cocoon approximately costs ₹400 to ₹500 a kg, while the production cost is just about ₹200 a kg. The price of silk also ranges between ₹3,500 to ₹4,000 a kg, says Joint Director M. Raajasekar.
With higher price realisation, farmers are willing to get into mulberry production. The State Government’s support to sericulture is on the rise every year, roughly by 10 % for the last three years, Mr. Raajasekar adds.
