Setting up automatic silk reeling machine shortly

Coimbatore, Feb 2 (UNI) An automatic silk reeling machine, the first of its kind in the country will be set up at Gobichetupalayam here shortly, says State Sericulture Department.

Talking to reporters here today, Sericulture Department Commissioner Harmandhar Singh and Handloom Textile Yarn and Handicrafts State Department Secretary Viswanath Shekawath said the proposed automatic silk reeling machine would be imported from China.

The Union Government through Central Silk Board would pay Rs 50 lakh as subsidy and the State Sericulture Board would give Rs 15 lakh for the machine, which would cost Rs one crore, they added.

Mr Shekawath said, once the machine started functioning then the sericulture farmers of the state should not have to depend Karnataka for reeling.

A beneficiary, K C Boobash Kangayan visited China and selected the machine, which had a capacity to reel cocoon produced in 400 acres per year. At present only 45 per cent of reeling of local production had been met, while the state's entire yearly production was 1,000 tonne.

Earlier, addressing a seminar on Sericulture, State Rural Industry Minister Pongalur N Palanisamy said the state government along with Union Government was providing Rs 96,000 as subsidy for each sericulture farmer.

The silk prodiction at present in the country was 18,000 metric tonne as against the demand of 26,000 metric tonne. If we increase the production of silk, the country could sell Rs 1,300 crore worth of foreign exchange, from silk industry alone, he added.

UNI