SRIKAKULAM: Farmers who have been hit severely due to worst crop returns in the last few years are switching over to mulberry cultivation and silk production in the district.Low labour and input costs and lucrative market price is fetching farmers good returns. Mulberry cultivation has been taken up in about 200 acres across the district this year against 130 acres in the last year.Except for summer, farmers cultivating mulberry need not worry about harsh climatic conditions."Commercial crops like cotton and sugarcane are labourintensive and have a high risk factor associated with them. But, mulberry cultivation is riskfree," says a 24yearold farmer U Appala Naidu of Tandyalapeta village in Gara mandal.He is cultivating mulberry is two acres. "Silk yarn is being produced in a shed nearby with Sericulture department providing subsidy.For mulberry cultivation, input cost does not exceed Rs 1,500 per acre.An acre of mulberry leaves are enough to feed 1,000 silk worms which produce nearly 600 kgs of silk yarn in five stages.The sericulture department provides silkworms to farmers which are bought from Bangalore. In return, it also buys the produce.'About 150 silk worms of Bivoltine variety produce 90 to 95 kgs of yarn in a span of 25 days. A farmer earns about Rs 20,000 at MSP Rs 180 a kg as the government gives incentive of Rs 40 on each kg to encourage rearing Bivoltine variety of worms," Appala Naidu said. 'By cultivating two acres of mulberry plants, I'm making a profit of Rs 1.3 lakh every year. Not more than two labourers are required on fields in a year," explains Naidu.According to assistant director of sericulture P Sadasiva Reddy, another 100 acres of land will be brought under mulberry cultivation by next year."Weather conditions have proved perfect for mulberry cultivation in Srikakulam and many farmers are taking it up as it guarantees riskfree profits," he informed.The Subsidy BaitSericulture department provides financial assistance ranging from Rs 50,000 to 1.5 lakh for the construction of sheds at half the subsidy amount to those farmers who come forward to take up mulberry cultivation. Once the department ropes in a farmer, it supplies mulberry plants to them for free.But, for this, farmers have to guarantee that their fields have access to irrigation throughout the year without depending on rain, says Sadasiva Reddy. "Borewell water can irrigate land less than two acres in area," the sericulture department official added.
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