Cocoon production in J

Srinagar, June 20 (UNI) Sericulture industry in Jammu and Kashmir is back on the path of revival, as the cocoon production is expected to exceed 8.50 lakh kgs this year against 7.62 lakh kgs recorded last year.

This will be the highest record of cocoon production during the last 16 years, Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives Abdul Aziz Zargar said during his inspection to sericulture Nursery at Mirgund, Pattan here today.

He also inspected the basic cocoon seed station in the nursery.

The Minister said government has made elaborate arrangements for organising cocoon auction markets to provide remunerative price to the cocoon rearers and 20 cocoon auction markets are being organised by the sericulture department in Jammu where cocoon cropping is at its peak nowadays.

The Minister said government have decided to provide attractive incentives to the entrepreneurs for setting up of reeling units in private sector as the raw material for the purpose is abundantly available in the state.

He said about 26 private reeling units are functional in the state and an amount of Rs one crore has been released as working capital assistance to these reelers under Cocoon Bank Scheme (CBS).

Out of this, Rs 60 lakh has been made available for operating cocoon markets in Jammu division.

He said more than 2900 beneficiaries will be provided CGI sheets Rs with 10,000 per beneficiary to improve cocoon rearing conditions during the tenth five year plan.

Director Sericulture informed that there has been significant improvement in the average price of cocoons during current year.

In the cocoon auction market Udhampur, the farmers have fetched an average price of Rs 260 per kg (dry) of cocoons in comparison to Rs 220 per kg last year.

He said a cash assistance of Rs 94 lakhs has been provided to the farmers for planting mulberry trees during the current five year plan.

He said modern technology based 100 Chowki Rearing Centres (CRC) have been set up in the state at a cost of Rs 3 crore during last 5 years to provide hatched silk worms to the cocoon rearers.

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