Women earns Rs eleven thousand to fifteen thousand yearly

Agartala, Dec 20 (UNI) Like rubber, coffee, sericulture department in Tripura is encouraging women to become self-reliant through sericulture cultivation in the state.

The department has been providing various helps, including finance to the poor women folk, to expand sericulture and bringing fertile land under this project.

An official told UNI today that women were earning additional Rs 10 to 11,000, selling their silk material in the state and the department's objective was to increase this amount by engaging more people in sericulture.

Sericulture was being cultivated mainly on tilla land, where there was not sufficient irrigation system to grow other corps.

The department has been trying to ensure that fertile land could be used for sericulture.

There are ten clusters in four districts and female growers, through Samabaya Samiti, were doing good business of the produced sericulture, officials said, adding that during last year 11,542 kg of such costly thread materials was produced in the state. The officials said they expect it to double this year.

The sericulture department provide training for plantation to the growers and financial help of Rs 4,000 for half hectres to create gardens. Besides, medicines, fertiliser and other materials were supplied to the grower, official informed.

The department also provide 50 per cent subsidy on eggs, which were imported from outside. After meeting the state's requirement, a good quantity of silk could be exported outside the state, including West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and other parts of the country.

Handloom weavers in the state were the main buyers of sericulture after processing the materials and there are two such processing centres in the state.

The department was also providing Rs ten thousand for setting up rearing house for the growers.

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