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| Bright future |
Kokrajhar, March 15: The Bodoland Territorial Council has drawn up an action plan to develop the sericulture sector in the region and will also set up four model farms to increase production of silk.
“The sericulture department will set up four model farms each in the four districts — at Adabari in Kokrajhar, Sapkhata in Udalguri, Jalah in Baksa and Subaijhar (Bengtol) in Chirang,” said J. Deori, the council head of department, sericulture, in Kokrajhar today, on the sidelines of the foundation stone laying ceremony of a department guesthouse at Adabari.
BTC executive member, in-charge sericulture, Deben Boro, laid the foundation stone.
The building is estimated to cost Rs 1.5 crore, with a two-year deadline for completion.
“The BTC has drawn up an action plan for the production of 600MT of eri silk and 10MT of muga and mulberry silk respectively by the end of the Twelfth Plan period. In the next five years, the target is to produce 2,000 eri seedlings. The production of mulberry has also been initiated in Udalguri district,” he said.
“The BTC contributed nearly 40 per cent of the silk production in the state,” Deori said, adding that in the Eleventh Plan period, Assam was the third largest producer of eri silk in the country.
The BTAD, which has nearly 50 silk farms, could produce 400MT of silk.
He said the department has initiated the production of more silk, engaging self-help groups.
Deori said the National Thermal Power Station, Salakati, has also given assistance of Rs 50 lakh for the composite production centre at Adabari in Kokrajhar.
He said the Central Silk Board is also assisting producers through an analytic development programme to rear silk worms and plantations, which would help to generate employment for the people in the area.
However, there is a shortage of manpower for the maintenance of the farms.
Deori said it was time that educated youths came forward to take up sericulture as it has huge scope.
The department has plans to organise a workshop in collaboration with Bodoland University regarding the importance of sericulture in the region.
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