MYSORE: Minister for Sericulture C. Chennigappa has opposed the Union Government's move to regulate the production, sale and distribution of silkworm seeds by amending the Central Seed Act.

Speaking after inaugurating the sericulture exhibition organised as part of Reshme Krishi Mela 2006 at Central Sericultural Research and Training Institute (CSRTI) here on Saturday, Mr. Chennigappa said the provision for regulating production, sale and distribution of silkworm seeds in the State already exists in the Karnataka Silk Act, 1959, and the State Sericulture Department was equal to the task of scientific production of silkworm seeds and regulating its sale and distribution among the farmers.

The State Government's Sericulture Research Station at Talaghattapura near Bangalore had been producing hybrid seeds, which had given 100 per cent results. In the interest of the State's sericulture farmers, the Union Government should drop its proposal to amend the Act.

Instead of interfering in the production and sale of silkworm seeds, the Centre should restrict itself to larger issues, such as implications of World Trade Organisation (WTO) Treaty and Exim policy on sericulture, he said.

Mr. Chennigappa also made out a case for allotting Karnataka a lion's share in the Central aid for sericulture as the State accounted for fifty per cent of the country's silk production. Regretting that the budgetary allocation for sericulture by the State Government used to barely cross Rs. 3 crores annually over the four years, the Minister said he will seek an allocation of at least Rs. 300 crores for sericulture in the next State Budget.

Central Silk Board (CSB) Chairman H. Hanumanthappa, who presided over the inaugural function, said CSB has convened a meeting of elected representatives of the State's silk rearing areas in Mysore on January 31.

The meeting will discuss a whole range of issues including inclusion of sericulture industry under the agriculture ministry to enable fixation of a minimum support price for silk and the proposal to amend the Karnataka Silk Act, 1959.

Sericulture is not entitled for compensation, as the department has been classified under Ministry of Textiles. The CSB has sent a proposal to the Planning Commission to formulate a sericulture policy.

Pointing out that production of bi-voltine silk has increased in north Karnataka, Mr. Hanumanthappa said steps will soon be taken to hold Krishi Melas in Belgaum, Bijapur, Bagalkot and Uttara Kannada districts.

Inaugurating the Reshme Krishi Mela 2006, Union Minister of State for Planning M.V. Rajashekaran said India is poised to overcome the 10,000 metric tonnes of shortfall in silk production in the next few years and emerge as the leading silk producer in the world, beating China. Mysore MP C.H. Vijayshankar and CSRTI Director S.B. Dandin were present.

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