Cocoon warehouse to come up in South Kashmir

Srinagar, Jul 3 (UNI) A modern cocoon warehouse would be constructed at Berigam in Devsar area of south Kashmir's Anantnag district at a cost of Rs 50 lakh, an official spokesman said today.

The warehouse would provide cocoon storage-cum-auction marketing facilities besides ensuring round-the-year availability of dried cocoons for silk reeling units in the state, he added.

Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Abdul Aziz Zargar during his visit to Devsar, was told that the silk worm rearing families in the Anantnag district have increased to 1350 during the current year as against 1150 in 2005, the spokesman said.

He said the sericulture department has distributed 1.63 lakh mulberry plants among 1476 beneficiaries of the district during the current year and the cocoon production has increased to 60,000 kg against 45000 kg in 2005.

The department has also provided CGI sheets worth Rs 34.210 lakh among the silk worm rearers of the district during the past three years to upgrade and improve their cocoon rearing sheds, he added.

The spokesman said department has also set up a modern Chaki Rearing Centre (CRC) at a cost of Rs three lakh at Chowgam village to provide hatched silk worms to the cocoon growers.

UNI AG CS HT1440