The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Silk-producing States seek more incentives

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Tuesday, Jul 29, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Silk-producing States seek more incentives

Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD: Concerned over the plight of sericulture farmers and weavers in their States, Ministers from the Southern States and West Bengal met here on Monday to make a common cause to seek a better deal from the Centre for the sector.

Stagnant minimum support price for mulberry cocoons for the last 15 years, rising input costs for farmers, inadequate subsidies, growing import of Chinese silk and the menace of smuggled silk were among the issues they raised.

The Ministers noted that only 19,000 tonnes of silk was being produced in the country as against the domestic demand of 26,000 tonnes.

Karnataka Sericulture Minister Venkataramanappa, West Bengal Textiles Minister Manabendra Mukherjee, besides Secretaries and Directors of the Boards of the participating States attended the meeting convened by A.P. Agriculture Minister N. Raghuveera Reddy to discuss issues facing four lakh sericulturists. Tamil Nadu Minister for Rural Industries Pongalur N Palanisamy could not make it, but officials from the State were present.

Mr. Raghuveera Reddy told presspersons that mulberry cultivation was declining as sericulture was becoming unviable in spite of efforts by the States.

To add to their woes, the country was importing huge quantities of silk from China at a meagre duty of 30 per cent.

Mr. Venkataramanappa said mulberry farmers were in distress as the cost of cultivation and labour was going up.

He sought a debt relief scheme for them and more subsidy to ‘Bivoltine’ (white silk). Mr. Mukherjee appreciated AP’s initiative in organising the meeting.

In Tamil Nadu, labour scarcity was a problem. Sericulture needed to be covered under the NREGP. As 25 per cent of silk production comprised the much sought after ‘white’ silk (equivalent to Chinese silk), it needed sanction of three to four automatic reeling units every year, Sericulture Commissioner Harmander Singh said.

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