India’s Union Minister of Textiles Smriti Zubin Irani recently launched four new projects in North East for the development of the silk sector. She also inaugurated new office building of Weavers Service Centres (WSC) in Indore, Madhya Pradesh and Kannur, Kerala.
The Minister inaugurated muga silk seed production centre in Tura, Meghalaya; silk printing and processing unit in Agartala, Tripura; eri spun silk mill in Sangaipat, Imphal; and development of sericulture in Mamit, Mizoram.
The infrastructure facilities available presently with the state are insufficient to meet the demand of required quantity of Muga basic seed. The creation of additional Muga SSPC in Tura will strengthen the Muga seed sector to make the state self-sufficient for production and supply of Muga silkworm seed. The seed production capacity of the unit is one lakh commercial dfls per year and around 300 farmers will be covered directly.
Silk Printing & Processing unit in Agartala, Tripura has been set up at a cost of Rs 3.71 crore for production, printing and processing of 1.5 lakh meter silk per annum. The project has been implemented directly by the state in coordination with CSB and is ready to commence production process. Textiles printing is a process in which designs are printed on the textiles material using various methods and techniques and done on finished fabrics. This unit will lead to higher and sustainable growth in the entire textile value chain from fiber to finished products in the state and improve the local weaver artisans.
Eri Spun Silk Mill in Sangaipat, Imphal East, Manipur was approved with a cost of Rs 21.53 crore and will be implemented directly by the state in co-coordination with CSB. Around 65% of Eri cocoons produced in Manipur are converted into yarn within the state through conventional spinning device Takli, Pedal operated and Motorised Eri Spinning machines. The rest 35% of Eri cocoons is marketed outside the state without value addition resulting in less income to farmers.
The installed production capacity of mill is 55 MT of quality Eri spun silk yarn by consuming about 74 MT of Eri cocoons per annum. The expected turnover at installed capacity utilization of 80% during the first year is around Rs 10 crore with a net profit of Rs 3 crore. The project is expected to generate direct employment to 107 persons throughout the year and indirect employment to around 1,500 Eri farmers through the backward linkage and around 730 weavers through forward linkage.
The project for development of sericulture in the aspirational district of Mamit, Mizoram, was approved with a total cost of Rs 11.56 crore, including the Centre’s share of Rs 10.82 crore. The project will be implemented directly by the state in co-coordination with CSB.
The project covers 684 beneficiaries and would generate employment of 3,250 man-year. It is estimated that established Eri plantation of 500 acres (400 acres new plantation and 100 acres existing plantation) will earn revenue of around Rs 60,000-70,000 per acre/annum depending upon the cocoon rates and including the selling of pupae.
At the same time, she interacted with the people’s representatives, officials and farmers, and urged them to generate awareness among the farmers and weavers about the loan schemes available under Mudra Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Sram Yogi Mandhan Yojna.