The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Impressive returns from sericulture

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Tuesday, Mar 11, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Impressive returns from sericulture

B. Madhu Gopal

A farmer can earn
a minimum of Rs.5,000 per acre per month

B. Konamraju, Joint Director, Sericulture, showing the different varieties of silk cocoons in Visakhapatnam.

VISAKHAPATNAM: Wish to have your cake and eat it too? Sericulture is for you.

It’s not only a low gestation, agro-based industry that ensures handsome returns, but also has the support of the Department of Sericulture. A sericulture farmer can earn a minimum of Rs.5,000 per acre a month, and the cocoons are out in some 25 days.

Mulberry cultivation

The total area under mulberry cultivation in Visakhapatnam district is 300 acres. This includes 205 acres in the agency area and the rest in the plains. Of the 350 farmers who are involved in sericulture, 310 are tribals. “To encourage farmers in the plains to take up sericulture, we plan to supply early age silkworms instead of eggs. The first seven days after hatching are crucial in the life of the worms and they have to be handled very carefully. We do that in our farms and then hand them over to the farmers.” “This year, 69 acres has been brought under mulberry cultivation and 34,000 silkworm eggs supplied to farmers. Till the end of January this year, 14 tonnes of cocoons and 600 kilograms of silk yarn was produced,” Joint Director of Sericulture Bhavaraju Konamraju has said. “The target for 2008-09 is to raise Eri, Muga and Tussar varieties in an additional 40 acres of land belonging to the department in the district. The department is giving subsidy of some Rs.1.5 lakhs to each of the beneficiaries for construction of sheds, purchase of equipment, purchase of Disease Free Layings (DFL s) and installation of drip irrigation systems,” he says. The department has a reeling unit at Paderu for tribal farmers to sell their produce.

Reeling unit

“We want to encourage entrepreneurs to set up a reeling unit at Yelamanchili for silk farmers from the plains. A reeling machine costs Rs.10 lakhs and we would provide 75 per cent of it as subsidy. We also have adequate infrastructure at Yelamanchili that could be taken on lease or one could go for new infrastructure,” he said.

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