Andhra Pradesh is planning to introduce sericulture-clinics for supplying machines and appliances to sericulture farmers on a rental basis.
Sericulture, of late, is becoming less lucrative and costs are on the rise. Younger generations are attracted towards other lucrative jobs in urban areas. Supply of machines and appliances to sericulturists on a rental basis could help reverse the situation and make sericulture industry remunerative.
On the development, sericulture commissioner of Andhra Pradesh Rama Lakshmi said, “We need to bring down the cost of production to make sericulture more profitable and mechanisation will certainly help in this.” “Innovations and machinery have been gaining in importance when labour shortage is acute and family labour concept is diminishing as younger generations are being attracted towards other lucrative job opportunities in the urban areas. Hence, there is need to popularise new technologies to make the industry more remunerative,” she said.
Bivoltine sericulture should also be popularised during the 12th Plan, she observed while inaugurating a one-day Innovative Sericulture Farmers’ Workshop at the Central Sericultural Research and Training Institute (CSRTI) in Mysore on December 16.
Bangalore-headquartered University of Agricultural Sciences V-C K Narayana Gowda expressed concern about the farming-shy younger generation and suggested efforts to make sericulture profitable with newer technology to attract younger generation.
Stressing on the need to bring down cost of production of silk and to make sericulture more sustainable and profitable by adopting labour-saving machines and techniques, he said, innovations and machinery were gaining in importance.
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However, farmer-innovators/scientists should keep in mind the relative advantage of their innovations.
Expressing concern over the challenge being posed by declining acreage under mulberry, CSRTI director SMH Qadri said, technologies developed by the institute were helping in maintaining the production levels due to the increased productivity. He cited the example of bivoltine revolution in Tamil Nadu.
“Sericulture is currently haunted by rising labour costs and water scarcity. Our farmer- innovators have aptly tried to address the situation,” he observed. He spoke of the CSRTI’s efforts, which successfully introduced bivoltine sericulture and brought about a revolution in silk production in the country, recording a quantum jump from a meagre 14 kg per ha during 1960s to the present 96 kg per ha in production.
The main objective of the workshop was to provide a platform to farmer-innovators to showcase their innovations and exchange ideas with other farmers and the scientists, Qadri said, expressing confidence that it would lead to further innovations which would place sericulture at a better position.
Around 35 farmer-innovators exhibited their products and technologies. About 150 sericulturists, besides scientists and officials of CSRTI and Department of Sericulture from different states participated in the event. Innovative farmers were felicitated.
The best three will be awarded during the forthcoming Krishi Mela being organised at Raichur.