New income stream for Darrang women through silkworm rearing

Mangaldai, Nov 29: Darrang district, especially Sipajhar, is known for the traditional practice of silkworm rearing. Women, mostly from the rural areas, take up this practice in their residential precincts to produce yarn for personal use sans any commercial goal. However, a positive change has been brewing in the district over the past year or so following an organised initiative launched by the AASU's Darrang district unit and the district committee of Assam Unnati Sabha.

They have jointly initiated a venture to empower women in select rural pockets in the district by motivating them to undertake silkworm rearing through modern technologies with necessary technical support from the State's department of sericulture.

The two organisations started the initiative with a group of 20 women belonging to villages such as Solpam, Bachachuba, Garkamora, and Khash Sonapur. The women were first imparted training in modern techniques of mulberry and eri silkworm rearing through a training programme conducted by experts from the sericulture department. The participants were divided into five groups with four members each.

Subsequently, every member was provided one packet of high-yielding, disease-free mulberry layings (silkworm eggs). At least 8 kg of mulberry cocoons can be produced from each such packet.

In this way, each rearer can earn Rs 3,000 per month on average, as the current market price of cocoons ranges from Rs 350 to Rs 450 per kg.

"We are very happy that we have become self-reliant with a little bit of labour, and that too without affecting our day-to-day household activities," said one of the silkworm rearers.

Hriday Baruah, general secretary of the Darrang unit of AASU, said that following the success of their initiative last year, many other women of the region have expressed their desire to join the initiative.

In view of that, they are now planning to extend the programme to cover 200 more women under the guidance of the office-bearers of Assam Unnati Sabha, Darang, including its president, Tilak Choudhury; vice president, Madan Nath; and secretary, Bishnu Sarma. The district AASU general secretary attributed the success of the initiative to the technical support and guidance from Abdur Rouf, assistant director of sericulture, Darrang, and Sunil Kr Nath, local sericulture demonstrator.

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Correspondent