Sericulture emerges as a lifeline in Maoist-hit areas of Jharkhand

Sericulture has emerged as a virtual lifeline for villagers in Maoist-affected areas in Jharkhand, as it provides lucrative employment opportunities.

Govindpur (Jharkhand), Nov 17 : Sericulture has emerged as a virtual lifeline for villagers in Maoist-affected areas in Jharkhand, as it provides lucrative employment opportunities.

Under the aegis of the State Industrial Department, the villagers rear silkworms.

The villagers are provided with silkworms, which are released on the trees for cocoon formation. A total of 687 trees have been grown on 11 acres for rearing silkworms.

A single cocoon provides a thread of around 1000 to 1800 meters. The raw material is then handed over to the authorities.

"Last year, we had production to a capacity of 1,18,712 cocoons, but we are aiming for a target of 500,000 cocoons this year. This has provided the villagers with a lucrative employment opportunity," said J P Shrivastava, Project Officer.

Sericulture has become a means of livelihood for villagers in Jharkhand where the Maoists have a stronghold in 18 of the 22 districts.

"We have found employment in the production of Tussar (a type of silk). The project (sericulture) has helped the villagers a lot. Now, we do not have to go out in search of employment. This is a source of livelihood for us," said Mohammedadakat Ansari, a villager.

Over six million people are engaged in various sericulture related activities across the country.

India produces a variety of silks, including Mulberry, Tussar, Muga and Eri depending upon the feeding habit of cocoons.

Tussar silk is produced from Tussar silkworms (Antheraea mylitta and Antheraea proylei) that feed mainly on the leaves of locally found trees called Asan and Arjun.

Chemically, silk is made of proteins secreted in fluid state by silkworms. These worms feed on select food plants and spin cocoons. The processing of cocoons leads to the production of silk.

India stands second only to China in silk production, which contributes around 85 percent of the global produce, whereas India's contribution is 13 percent.

Officials say India requires 120,000 metric tonne silk to meet the demand in the world market, and with better infrastructure facility the sericulture industry can improve productivity to 15 percent as against the current nine percent.

India's raw silk production has jumped from 15,742 tonnes in 2003-04 to 18,475 tonnes at the end of 2006-07.

ANI