Raw silk export under study

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, DEC. 5. The Central Silk Board is exploring the possibility of raw silk export from the country, marking a departure from its imports, especially from China, which had been the bane of sericulturists.

This was stated here today by the Chairman of the board and BJP leader, Mr. K.S. Eshwarappa, while addressing the press along with the Minister for Sericulture, Mr. M. Mahadev.

The two announced the launching of a Rs. 50.12 - crore project to produce 600 tonnes of bivoltine raw silk in a year in the State. The board will be providing technical and financial support (Rs. 17.82 crores) to the State Government. The share of the State would be Rs. 12.27 crores and the balance of Rs. 20.08 crores would be provided by the beneficiaries.

Mr. Eshwarappa said that while the aim of the board was to achieve self-sufficiency in the matter of raw silk, it was time to explore the export market considering the high quality of raw silk (mulberry and others) produced in the country.

According to the Central Silk Board sources, the total production of raw silk in the country was 14,500 tonnes. China, which had been a major exporter, had recorded a steep fall in production from 55,000 tonnes to 39,000 tonnes. This should be advantageous to the country.

Mr. Mahadev had a different viewpoint on exports. He noted that export of waste or spunsilk was starving the mills of the raw material. Whereas the requirement of waste silk in Karnataka was 2,500 tonnes, the exports were of the order of 1,500 tonnes. For want of the raw material, the Government Spun Silk Mills at Channapatna was without work.

Mr. Mahadev said the State had planned to launch a massive Rs. 1000-crore sericulture development project. The Government would be seeking assistance from the NABARD for the project. It was also intended to increase the area under mulberry in the State from 1.2 lakh hectares to two lakh hectares and popularise mulberry cultivation in Dharwad, Bijapur, Raichur, Bellary, Belgaum and Uttara Kannada districts. Mr. Mahadev did not mince words when saying that there was misuse of funds under a World Bank-aided sericulture development project implemented in the State. The bank funds had been utilised for buying vehicles, which had now become scrap, and on buildings and foreign tours of officials.

However, the Central Silk Board officials told The Hindu that the area under sericulture in Karnataka had actually declined by 30,000 hectares in the last two years on account of fall in prices.

About the bivoltine silk production programme, Mr. Eshwarappa said that it would involve 10,600 farmers. The board was already implementing a Catalytic Developmental Scheme in Karnataka and some others States for boosting the production of bivoltine silk. Under that scheme, subsidy was being provided for drip irrigation, construction of silkworm-rearing houses, rearing equipment, supply of disinfectants, installation of multi-end reeling machines developed by the board's Central Silk Technological Research Institute etc. The board had also proposed a new scheme under which it would reimburse 50 per cent of the cost of purchase of saplings of V1, S1635 and S36 varieties of mulberry to the Department of Sericulture, Karnataka. It was also proposed to encourage quality service clubs for the supply of ``chawkie''-reared silkworms to the farmers.

Mr. Mahadev announced that some amendments to the State's Sericulture Act would be carried out to facilitate the implementation of the new bivoltine production programme.

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