CSB plans to increase silk production

Mysore, Mar 5 (UNI) The Central Silk Board (CSB) is planning to increase the silk production to 26,000 metric tonnes by the end of the 11th five year plan.

Informing this to reporters after inaugurating a day-long workshop on promotion of bivoltine sericulture through Institute Village Linkage Programme (IVLP) at the Central Sericulture Research Training Institute here yesterday, CSB member secretary M Satyavati stressed the need to increase the number of farmers engaged in sericulture to boost the silk production by the end of 11th plan period.

The CSB was also targeting to increase the sericulture farmers from 60 lakh to 77 lakh, she said.

Stating that the silk production was 18,450 mt during 2006-07 against 15,445 mt last year, she said the Board had spent Rs 110 crore on sericulture development.

She said the grant from the Government for sericulture would gradually increase in the coming years to ensure that the target set by the CSB for production of 28,000 mt was achieved by 2012.

About 600 IVLP sericulturists and 200 senior sericulture officials from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra participated in the workshop.

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