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Silk production goes up

Staff Correspondent

More areas to be brought under sericulture; new strategy on the anvil

BHOPAL: The area under sericulture has increased in Madhya Pradesh and the State Government is focusing on bringing new areas under sericulture and improving the quality of silk produced in the State.

The State Minister for Panchayats and Rural Development, Narendra Singh Tomar, emphasised the Government's determination to bring more area under sericulture while addressing the fifth annual general meeting of the Madhya Pradesh Silk Federation in the State Capital on Wednesday. He said the income of farmers linked with sericulture and silk weavers has increased as more area has come under sericulture and silk production has gone up in the State.

He called upon the weavers to build their capacities and become self-reliant in the face of competition. The Minister said efforts were being made and avenues being explored to ensure better returns to the weavers and farmers. He said the weavers' dependence on the State Government should be reduced and they must become capable of taking their produce directly to the consumers.

Mr. Tomar said that during his recent Assam visit he had studied all aspects of sericulture and a detailed report is being prepared. On the basis of the report, a strategy would be chalked out to boost silk production in the State, he added.

During the financial year 2004-05, the Madhya Pradesh Silk Federation had produced 1,40,443 kg of mulberry in 1030 acres spread over 24 districts and sold cocoon and mulberry worth Rs. 125 lakhs. A total of 58, 583 meters of cloth was produced and cloth worth Rs. 72 lakh was sold during this period. The Hoshangabad district produced the maximum, 49, 517 kg of mulberry. The other districts ahead on the production front are Narsinghpur, Balaghat Mandla, Vidisha and Rajgarh.

During the last fiscal, 125, 873 tussar cacoons were cultivated in 1954 hectare area in the State.

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