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ReturnIndia:Boost domestic silk production, says MP
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PublishDate：
2006-02-10 13:27:00
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SALEM: Salem MP K V Thangabalu exhorted the farmers to boost domestic silk production so as to reduce the dependency on imports from China.
He was addressing the silk farmers at the state-level farmers 憁ela?organised by the Regional Sericultural Research Station (RSRS), Salem, which is the Research arm of the Central Silk Board, here, on Wednesday.
Referring to the ongoing strike by the silk cloth manufacturers demanding a cut in import duty and anti-dumping duty on Chinese silk to reduce market price of silk yarn, Thangabalu said that he had sent a report to the government appraising the situation.
However the government has to take a balanced decision on price stabilisation considering the interest of the local silk farmers and the weavers.
Market price fluctuations could largely be beaten by increasing the quality and quantity of domestic production and in India the demand supply gap was wide. Against a total domestic demand of 25,000 tonnes, the production is only 15,000 tonnes.
A hundred percent increase in the number of mulberry farmers is necessary to fill the gap. He advised farmers to rear more silk worms. Farmers have great scope as mulberry gives a return of over Rs 1 lakh per acre and water consumption is less.
The Central Government, through the Central Silk Board, has launched several intervention programmes to increase production and profitability he said, assuring the farmers that he would strive to remove bottlenecks in loan disbursals to farmers.
The Center's priority was to maximise disbursals of farm loans, he added. Dr H Baskar, chief executive officer and member secretary, in his presidential address said that a good cocoon market was absent in Tamil Nadu to exploit the established mulberry base for farmers to make sustained profits which is presently erratic.
The production target must jump from current 580 MT to 2000 MT in three years.
Dr S M H Qadri, joint director, RSRS, Salem said that Indian silk fell short of international quality. But technology, financial support and training were available through Silk board which could be capitalised, he said. S Thangasamy, director, Tamil Nadu Department of Sericulture, Salem wanted farmers to manage erratic profit fluctuations with a disciplined approach and not leave the business when the cycle was at the low.
He disputed reports that production of cocoons decreased in the state and said that against 423 MT last year, the production till date was 580 MT.
Dr D S Dandin, director, Central Silk Research & Training Institute, Mysore, G Rajappa, joint director, Department of Sericulture, Salem also spoke.
