Philippines:Bright prospects seen for silkworm industry
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PublishDate:
2006-09-11 15:56:00
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Two members of the Japanese House of Representatives recently said the silk industry of Negros Occidental has a great potential as long as it continuous to produce good quality products.
Representatives Ichiro Miyashita and Asahiko Mihara, along with members of the Organization for Industrial, Spiritual and Cultural, Advancement yesterday paid a courtesy call on Gov. Joseph Marañon.
Mihara said they were in Negros to look into the work of OISCA in the province, which they support. He also said the market for silk is very big. "In Japan we only have a little more than 2,000 farmers producing silk," he said.
"So we import silk from China and Vietnam, and the Philippines can compete against them," he added.
OISCA in Negros Occidental, headed by Shigemi Watanabe, has trained farmers to plant mulberry trees and grow silkworms for the production of silk at their factory in Bago City.
Marañon turned over P2 million to Watanabe, which is a loan from the Negros Occidental provincial government to 200 farmers engaged in planting mulberry trees and growing silk worms. He said last year the provincial government also had an allocation for loans to 100 other farmers.*CPG