Sericulture is an eco-friendly agro-based labour intensive
rural cottage industry providing subsidiary employment and supplementing
the income of rural farmers especially the economically weaker section
of the society.
There are several centrally sponsored schemes for promotion
and development of sericulture sector, through which Government of India
has been undertaking different activities like:
- creation of sericulture related infrastructure;
- development of nurseries and farms;
- expanding plantation areas;
- providing technical know-how to the rearers in production
and marketing of cocoons;
- skill up-gradation and training programme, etc.
Catalytic
Development Programme (CDP) For Development of Sericulture
The Central Silk Board has been implementing the catalytic
development programme for development of sericulture in collaboration
with the State Governments and also through the cluster approach/SGSY
programme of the Ministry of Rural Development.
- It aims to promote adoption of improved technology practices
in various activities like host plantation, seed production, rearing
of silkworm, reeling and twisting, weaving, printing and dyeing for
enhancement of production and productivity as well as upgradation of
the quality of silk.
- The basic objective of the programme are technology absorption,
investment generation, productivity improvement and employment generation.
The programme supports stake holders in operations ranging from food
plant cultivation to marketing of products in mulberry, tasar, eri and
muga silk.
- Support and incentives are provided mainly to small &
marginal farmers and small entrepreneurs, under both on-farm and off-farm
activities, in mulberry and non-mulberry sectors.
- It supports production of quality cocoons and raw silk
in the silk producing States.
- Most of the components under CDP propose financial assistance
with the subsidy/assistance to be provided to the beneficiaries by both
Silk Board and the concerned State Government.
The Central Silk Board has been implementing various schemes/projects
for the development of sericulture by monitoring the flow of funds. It
also plays a pivotal role in advising the Government on matters related
to the silk industry. It is also extending R&D support and facilitating
generation of the required technical manpower through organizing training
programmes in its Research & Training Institutes located in different
parts of the country.
Keeping in mind the major role played by the women in the
industry, exhaustive training programmes have been organized for them.
For instance, from February 2004 training is being provided under the
project “Establishment of Seritechnology Complex for Women”,
at the Central Sericultural Research & Training Institute, Mysore
with the financial assistance from Department of Biotechnology.
Till date, about 2500 farm women has been trained from
different States like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and
Maharashtra. Important disciplines which boosts the skill & income
like Integrated Nutrient and Disease Management, Young Age silkworm Rearing,
Composite Rearing, Integrated Pest and Disease Management, Silkworm Seed
Production, Value Addition to Byproducts of Sericulture Industry and Drudgery
reduction through ergonomically sound appliances are intensively covered
during the training.
Due to continuous R & D output in sericulture, several
technologies have been evolved and due to this, production cost of cocoon
has been reduced considerably. Recently, with the enforcement of these
new research findings both in mulberry cultivation and silkworm handling
has become more economical, the silk industry is now being practiced as
a main profession and as a major cash crop of the country in many States.
