More than 100 Udupi farmers smitten by the silk bug

The production of bivoltine cocoons in the district is 3,000 kg to 3,500 kg annually

Sericulture or silk farming is now catching up in Udupi district with ,more than 100 farmers cultivating it on 100 acres. The production of bivoltine (two brood in a season) cocoons in the district is 3,000 to 3,500 kg annually. The yield per 100 disease-free layings is 65 to 70 kg per crop.

Many young farmers have taken to silk farming in Karkala, Ajekar, Hebri, Mudrady, Kantawar, Mala, Kodlady, Cherkady, Marady, Ajri and Pethri in the district, according to a press release issued here.

Ganesh Shettigar (29), a farmer in Mudrady village, who has won an award for following integrated agriculture, has been cultivating silk in about two acres of land. He has also been encouraging other farmers to cultivate and has also been working as resource person for the Department of Sericulture to popularise silk farming. “Many farmers come to my farm to study about silk farming,” he said.

The Department of Sericulture has been encouraging farmers to take up silk farming. Silk rearing is done on Mulberry leaves. Mulberry is a hardy plant capable of thriving under a variety of agro-climatic conditions. It is also sensitive, responding extremely well to optimum agricultural inputs, but shows practically no growth when plant nutrients and moisture begin to operate as limiting factors. The mulberry plants require proper water facility.

Training

Since silk farming requires good technical and scientific knowledge, interested farmers are given a week’s training, at the Rural Development and Self Employment Training (RUDSET) Institute at Heroor village near Brahmavar by the Department. They are also taken on a study tour to the farms of progressive farmers in the district.

“We tell the farmers how silk cultivation can help them. They follow the guidelines given by us on silk farming,” said H.S. Kori, Field Officer, from the Department.

Many farmers in the Hebri-Bachchappu belt are now dependent on silk farming alone.

They now produce four to seven crops of silk annually and get quality yield from it. The Department also helps them in marketing their produce.

The farmers send the silk produced on their farms to the markets in Bangalore and Ramanagara for sale.

Subsidy

But the farmers have to be careful about the moisture in the climate while cultivating silk worms. Some poor farmers have also constructed sheds for silk worm rearing from the subsidy provided by the Department.

“For 1,000 square feet of rearing shed, a subsidy of Rs. 75,000, is given by the Sericulture Department. An amount of Rs. 6,750 is given as plantation subsidy for cultivation of mulberry plants per acre.

Equipments including rearing trays, disinfectant sprays get 75 per cent subsidy of total cost not exceeding Rs. 32,500 per acre”, said Upendra Nayak, District Sericulture Officer.