Industries Minister for boosting State economy through silk production
Source: Hueiyen News Service / NNN
Imphal, November 23 2013 :
Manipur's Commerce and Industries minister Govindas Konthoujam on Saturday appealed to the people to give more attention to silk products to boost the state economy.
Participating in a 'one day farmers' awareness programme on eri silk' at Directorate of Sericulture, Sangaipat in Imphal East district, Govindas said golden yellow muga silk, eri silk, mulberry silk and oak tasar silk-the four silk types abundantly available in Manipur-should be produced in large scale to boost the economy.
The programme was hosted by the state Directorate of Sericulture in association with Central Silk Board, Central Muga Eri Research and Training Institute, Ministry of Textiles, Lahdoigarh, Jorhat in Assam and CCS National Institute of Agricultural Marketing, Ministry of Agriculture, Rajasthan.
Govindas acknowledged that the hard work of the state's farmers have immensely contributed in uplifting Manipur in the sericulture sector however he said the weak point is still the inability to export the products.
The minister said the meaning of being coined Manipur as 'unique' in sericulture because of its four silk varieties already mentioned is useless if the farmers do not produce them adequately.
Jharkhand has already shown its large scale silk products to Japan, but still Manipur has failed to show its first-phase project's silk products to that country so the Sericulture Department and farmers need to exert more efforts.