Farm-fresh organic fibre through livelihood tourism is a new strategy for the Madhya Pradesh silk federation to bring silk farmers closer to the market and provide a feel of nature and purity of product to buyers and tourists.
Encouraged by the buoyancy in silk production, particularly in Kosa or tussar silk, the federation has set silk showrooms named “Prakrit” (derived from nature) at its prominent silk farms to showcase and sale ready-made pure silk garment, silk yarn, and raw silk. A buyer or tourist can see silk making process from rearing of larvae, to hatching and boiling of cocoons to reeling and yarn making at these showrooms.
At present the federation has set up two showrooms in Malakhedi, near Hoshangabad district (75 Km from Bhopal) and in Pachmarhi and more showrooms will come up at Suktawa, Madai (famous eco-tourism destination), Matkuli (prominent tribal village on Pachmarhi-Chhindwara route) and Harrai (in Chhindwara). Plans are also afoot to develop silk routes to showcase silk growing areas through signage of Prakrit. The sales at the two showrooms are encouraging in the first year with Rs 52 lakh achieved by Malakhedi farm, which is expected to touch Rs 1 crore by end of the financial year.
“It will take two-three months to set up more showrooms and set up signage at silk routes,” district officer sericulture Hoshangabad RK Srivastava told BS. “We have plans to create tourism facilities at the Prakrit showrooms but as of now visitors can take refreshment only,” he said.
With a view to promoting non-traditional activity in view of huge potential in organic farming of silk, the federation is promoting the wild silk as purely organic activity through the Prakrit showrooms.
These showrooms will also display readymade garments and only India made wild silk fibre. “No other state now uses tussar silk in making silk-made clothes except for Madhya Pradesh. Other states, including Chhattisgarh which once led tussar silk production is also using Chinese or Korean silk. We want to protect this dying skill of making kosa silk,” Srivastava said.
Tussar silk production in Madhya Pradesh has gone up from zero to 60 metric tonnes during the last few years. Similarly Mulberry silk production has gone up from 3.5 metric tonnes to 40 metric tonnes and Eri or divine silk from zero to 10 metric tonnes.
The state’s ranking in silk production in the country has gone up from eighth to third during 2001-2009. Total silk production of India stands at 18,000 metric tonnes, while domestic consumption is at 25,000 metric tonnes. Madhya Pradesh offers a huge potential in silk production.
“We did a survey with the department of forests and we have more than 110 million trees on which we can fetch tussar silk. Against India’s total production of 380 tonnes, the state has potential of about 4,000 tonnes,” Srivastava said, “Only Hoshangabad district contributes to 60 per cent of the total production and provides employment to28, 000 families.”
