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ReturnIndia:Organic sericulture picks up threads
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PublishDate：
2005-12-26 11:02:00
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BANGALORE: A project aimed at promoting organic sericulture is slowly gaining ground in the key silk producing southern states, said S Jayaraj, chairman, S Jayaraj Research Foundation. Organic sericulture, which focuses on organically cultivating mulberry, involves the use of material like sunnhemp (Crotalaria Juncea), a fibre crop which can be used for paper and pulp production or as green manure.
Mr Jayaraj, the former vice-chancellor of the TN Agriculture University, says organic sericulture is currently being carried out in 11 districts across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
According to Shankar Dandin, director, Central Sericulture Research and Training Institute (CSRTI), given the falling soil fertility levels, going organic can help both production and productivity.
An acre of land requires about 10 kg of sunnhemp. One kg costs Rs 10-12. So, 10 kg can fix nitrogen equivalent to Rs 1,000 per acre. The green manure, which helps the soil to increase its nitrogen content, also helps to reduce consumption of nitrous fertiliser up to 25% in the very first year of use.
Mr Jayaraj says a farmer can get a return of Rs 2.1 on an investment of Re 1. Conventional mulberry cultivation provides a return of Rs 1.6 for every rupee invested. Depending on the availability of water, he claims the number of rearing cycles for silkworm can easily be increased.
India, which produces about 15,000 tonnes of raw silk annually, has to depend on imports to meet the growing demand for the lustrous fibre in the country. Of late, the country has taken to bivoltine (temperate) sericulture which has been practised in countries like Japan and China. Karnataka accounts for over 60% of total raw silk production.
