Silk farmers of Birbhum, Murshidabad and Nadia districts participated in a silk and sericulture fair here today. The chairman of Central Silk Board, K M Hanumantharayappa, today inaugurated
the fair at the campus of Central Sericulture Research and Training Institute (CSRTI) in Behrampore, Murshidabad.
The chairman stressed the need for sensitising the silk farmers all over the country about the probitability of sericulture. “The sericulture research institutes of India have developed farming implements, which will be marketed in a subsidised rate. A new device worth Rs 14 lakh is being offered at Rs 10 lakh,” said the chairman of Central Silk Board.
“We need to increase production of silk because the amount of silk produced in India is not adequate. This makes room for import of silk from foreign countries like China, Japan, Korea etc.,” said Hanumantharayappa.
The CSRTI at Behrampore, which commands jurisdiction over the east and north-eastern states, has developed one new variety of Bivoltine breed for production of quality silk, said Kanika Trivedi, director of CSRTI.
“Farmers from Nadia, Birbhum and Murshidabad got a chance to see the works of our sericulture scientists displayed at the exhibition of Resham Krishi Meal-2018 today. We awarded 18 farmers from three districts for excellence in production.” A woman farmer, Shankari Mandal from Nalhati in Birbhum got the first prize.