Amid the clamour for shifting from tobacco crop to other crops in view of the serious health hazards tobacco consumption poses, sericulture has been mooted as a viable alternative.
But, scientists are Central Sericultural Research and Training Institute (CSRTI) in Mysuru were guarded at the prospect. For, the soil on which tobacco has been cultivated would contain toxic elements and cannot be straightaway used for growing mulberry, whose leaves are the only source of food for the silkworms, pointed out Dr. R. Bhagya, a scientist at CSRTI, who leads the extension activities of the Institute.
However, a senior scientist at CSRTI Dr. K.B. Chandrashekar pointed out that a shift from tobacco to mulberry can happen only after the tobacco contaminants and toxicity in the soil is removed by growing crops like maize for a year or two.
Tobacco crop renders the soil toxic. “We cannot grow mulberry on the same soil as the silkworms will not accept the mulberry leaves grown directly on soil that had been used to cultivate tobacco. The silkworms may not spin a cocoon,” the scientists cautioned.
As silkworms are considered to be very sensitive, a high degree of caution is recommended. “It is not just soil on which tobacco crop has been grown. Even the soil on which ginger had been cultivated is similiarly not advisable for cultivation of mulberry straightaway,” according to a scientist.
CSRTI Director Dr. Gandhi Doss, however, said the Institute was ready to support any Government move to introduce sericulture in the tobacco-growing areas of the State along with the Government of Karnataka’s Department of Sericulture.
A host of farmers growing various crops including horticultural crops visit CSRTI to explore the options of shifting to sericulture. Among them tobacco farmers too make inquiries and they are suitably advised, said Dr. Bhagya.
According to CSRTI scientist C.M. Babu, sericulture is considered to be one of the most profitable agricultural activities. Apart from the Government subsidies sericulturists are entitled to, they can grow a crop almost every month. While the silkworm larval duration is 24 to 26 days, the cocoons are marketed on the seventh day.
“In one acre of mulberry garden, a farmer can harvest annually between 800 to 1,000 kgs of cocoons if he adopts all the recommendations given by our Institute,” said Dr. Babu.
A kg of bivoltine hybrid cocoons fetched a maximum price of ₹600 minimum price of ₹311 and an average of ₹526 at the cocoon market in Ramanagaram on October 31. A scientist also pointed out that the prices of cocoons had breached the ₹1,000 per kg about two years ago.
Despite the seasonal fluctuations in prices, cocoon prices are considered to be more stable than other agricultural commodities, Dr. Babu added.
