India:Kapangan folks eye silk cloth making to augment income
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PublishDate:
2006-03-07 15:01:00
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TO SUSTAIN its sericulture industry, the town of Kapangan, Benguet is bent on producing top quality silk cloth from its growing cocoon production.
Mayor Rogelio Leon is encouraging the farmers engaged in silkworm production to learn the technology of manufacturing silk cloths.
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"The (sericulture) industry would not be sustainable if farmers get content on cocoon production alone. From cocoon, they should learn how to produce thread and then manufacture this into silk," he said.
De Leon added that Kapangan is producing Class A cocoons that are sold at the local markets at P130 to P150 per kilo. Threads derived from these are sold locally at P1,500.
He said while the town's produce are of export quality, they want to first satisfy the local demand. "There is a big potential for sericulture industry in Kapangan," he said.
The Municipal Government identified cocoon production as its One Town, One Product (Otop) offering.
This is aside from the fact that farmers already know the technology of rearing silkworms. Forty-four farmers from the town's nine barangays are engaged in the business and already formed into a cooperative.
The Benguet Fiber Industry Development Authority (BFIDA) reported that Class C cocoons in Kapangan are equivalent to Class A cocoons produced in the lowlands.