31737 families engaged in sericulture activities: B John Tlangtinkhuma
Source: The Sangai Express / DIPR

Imphal, July 29 2016 : A total of 31,737 families are now working in sericulture related activities in 934 villages of the State, said B John Tlangtinkhuma, Director of Sericulture, Manipur during a press conference held here today organized by DIPR at DIPR premises.

The total production of raw silk this year was 525.95 MT.

Sericulture is a labour intensive agro-based industry which can generate employment opportunities for the rural and semi urban people with lowest investment cost.

Manipur is one of the unique States in the world where all the four varieties of Silk viz Mulberry, Eri, Muga and Oak Tasar are produced.

The silk produced in Manipur is of the highest qualities and the land is suitable for sericulture projects.

Sericulture in the State has a long tradition and has been practiced by the farmers from time immemorial though on a limited scale.

Even unskilled or uneducated rural and semi-urban population can practice sericulture activities.

Seri culture has given opportunity to women for self employment as women performed most of the sericulture activities.

31737 families engaged in sericulture activities: B John Tlangtinkhuma

The Department is trying to provide self-employment and mitigate poverty through sericulture, B John Tlangtinkhuma.

Till the Ninth Five Year Plan, mulberry silkworm rearing and reeling was confined to four villages- Khurkhul, Leimaram, Pha yeng and Thongjao whereas few womenfolk practiced Eri silkworm rearing for domestic consumption.

During the Ninth National Socio-Economic Development Plan, the State Government has started the implementation of Manipur Sericulture Project.

The revised plan size of the Department for 2014-15 was Rs 1,896 lakh and for 2016-17 the tentative outlay of the Department is Rs 650 lakh.

The Manipur Sericulture Project I under Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), Japan (1997-2008) had some problems as it took a long time to approve the project.

Average productivity was only 40 kg cocoons /100 dfls and many farmers abandoned their activities.

Now the second phase is going on.

Farmers having an acre of land are provided assistance for construction of Individual Adult Rearing Houses, rearing appliances, planting materials in kind with their involvement with training facilities in the field of Silkworm Rearing and Silkworm food plantation, he informed.

After the second phase was taken up, 36 hectares of land was brought under mulberry plantation for 90 farmers and 25 hectares under plantation for eri silkworm for 61 farmers.

151 farmers were assisted for construction of 1 silkworm rearing house each.

NERTPS (Mulberry) (2015-2017) project was approved by the Government of India on December 17, .2013 for development of mulberry sericulture in the valley districts of the State with a total project cost of Rs 149.76 crore and its implementation was started from the year 2014-15 .

The project is to be implemented over a period of 3 years and it aims to bring 1,000 Has of land under mulberry plantation through 2,500 beneficiaries.

Each beneficiary is given assistance for mulberry plantation, construction of adult silkworm rearing house or repairing of pre-fabricated rearing house constructed during MSP-I and rearing equipments.

Under ISDP, NERTPS (Mulberry Eri ) Project, development of mulberry and Eri sericulture was taken up in hill districts with a total project cost of Rs 30.39 crore.

The project is to be implemented over a period of two years and it aims to bring 700 acres of land under Mulberry and Eri plantation with the involvement of 700 beneficiaries.

Each beneficiary is given assistance for mulberry plantation, construction of adult silkworm rearing house, rejuvenation of the mulberry farms and rearing equipments.

The Catalytic Development Program (CDP) was also implemented since the IX Plan with the assistance of Central Silk Board, Ministry of Textiles, Govt of India.

Pre-cocoon activities of all the four sectors of sericulture are covered under this program.

So far 18,735 families have been benefited through the scheme up to the end of XI Plan.

The CSB has released Rs 671.96 lakh (2014-15).A sub-scheme called 'Bi-voltine Cluster Promotion Programme' under CDP is implemented at Churachandpur and Ukhrul districts under CDP with the involvement of 175 farmers at Churachandpur and 150 farmers at Ukhrul.

Rastriya Krishi Vikas Yojana(RKVY) has been implemented since 2010-11 to enhance production and productivity and also to improve infrastructure for sericulture.

The department is taking up Integrated Bi-voltine Sericulture Project in Mulberry (Tripura Model) with a Project cost of Rs 29.63 crore which is to be implemented for over a period of three year (2016-17) to (2018-19) .

Proposal has been made for upgrading Regional Tasar Research Station, Central Silk Board, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, Mantripukhri, Imphal into Central Tasar Sericultural Research & Training Institute for in-depth research and stabilization of Oak Tasar seeds.

Sericulture Vision -2030, Short term 2017 to 2019, Mid term 2017- 2023 and Long term 2017-2030 have been planned and they are in the formative stages.

The Department is also taking up Soil to Silk Project, Intensive Bi-voltine Sericulture Develop ment Projects (2 for valley and 2 for hills) and Integrated Sericulture Develop ment Project (in Vanya sector for Oak tasar, Eri Sector and Muga Sector) .

It is setting up two commercial grainages.

Efforts are on to allow mulberry and eri cultivation in forest areas.

The Department is also trying to introduce e-commerce platform for post cocoon sector and transform from cross breed to 100% bivoltine mulberry silk.

Neena Sarangthem, AO, Ch Harendra Kumar Singh, Dy Director, S Birendra Singh Asstt Director, Md Hamidul Haque, Superintendent(Seri) and N Sanaton, Assistant Director were also present at the conference.