Silk cocoon rates fall drastically, farmers left in the lurch

RAMANAGARA: The prices of silk cocoons have drastically fallen due to the delayed monsoon, adversely affecting farmers’s income.

The sudden drop in prices of bivoltine hybrid silkworms has pushed farmers into distress. Earlier, the cost of bivoltine silk cocoons was Rs 550-600 per kg, which has now fallen to Rs 300-350 per kg. The price of double hybrid cocoons has dropped from Rs 950-1,000 per kg  to about Rs 600-700 per kg.

Farmers are in panic due to the sharp dip in cocoon prices. One of the major reasons for the price drop is import of silk from China and farmers are requesting that the government give some sort of incentives for sericulturists to boost local production.

Former Puttaraju Swamy from Mallanayakanahalli said, “We depend only on sericulture for our livelihood. Earlier, there was a good price at the market, but now the price of silk cocoons has dropped. We don’t know what to do next. The price dropped from Rs 700 to Rs 360 per kg. How can we manage our schoolchildren’s fees?”

A Sericulture Department officer said, “The Ramanagara cocoon market is a biggest market in the Asia. About 40 to 50 tons of silk cocoons come from different districts and states, especially from the northern states. The prices of silk cocoons have dropped in the last three months, the major reason being that more silk was imported from China than in previous years. The silk imported from China was 1,900 tons which increased to 3,900 tons this year. Due to this, the prices has fallen”.

The officer noted that bivoltine breed cocoons are priced at Rs 200 per kg on an average. “Farmers are not getting enough, compared to the cost of cultivation. During the pandemic period, silk cocoon cultivation increased significantly and the import duty was increased to 15 per cent. The increase in local production is another reason for the price drop”, he explained.