Around 50% of the mulberry yield in Karnataka has been impacted owing to the thrips and mites attack during the drought, farmers and officials of the Department of Sericulture said.
While the department is yet to technically assess the extent of loss of plants and silk cocoons, farmers across the silk belt have complained that the dry spell and reduced greenery have increased thrips (Pseudodendrothrips mori) and mites (such as the yellow mite, Polyphagotarsonemus latus) across all their fields, reducing the yield by about half.
According to officials, farmers in Karnataka can typically harvest five to six silk cocoon crops per year under tropical irrigated conditions. The total mulberry area is spread over more than one lakh hectares, and the silk production is recorded at 13,275 tonnes on average every year. Chikkaballapura, Kolar, Ramanagara and Mandya top the list in sericulture.
Goutham Gowda from Byramangala, president of the Silk Farmers’ Association in Ramanagara, explained that usually drip irrigation or a sprinkler system is used to provide water to mulberry plants. “However, due to the reduced greenery and dry spell, the mite attack has increased, reducing the yield of mulberry leaves,” he said.
Mr. Gowda added, “If there is cultivation of other crops and lots of trees around, these mites don’t attack leaves. Other crops, plants and trees will act as hosts for these mites. Now, the production of leaves has reduced by nearly 50%.”
Meanwhile, Rajesh T., another sericulture farmer, said, “I grow mulberry on a two-acre farm and rear silkworms. Though water was not a problem for cultivation this year, mites and thrips have attacked the leaves, reducing the yield by more than 50%. As a result, cocoon production has also reduced.”
Advice to farmers
At present, Department of Sericulture officials have advised farmers to spray neem oil to control mite attacks. Kailasamurthy, Deputy Director, Government Cocoon Market in Ramanagara, said the scourge had increased due to extreme heat recorded in August and September. He said farmers were pushing for the free supply of neem oil, but the department had yet to decide on it. “Currently, we are providing bleaching powder and room disinfectant for free to farmers,” he said.
Speaking on the drastic decrease in the yield of cocoons, Mr. Kailasamurthy said, “Last year, at the same time, we received 60 tonnes of silk cocoons every day at the Ramanagara market. This year it has reduced to 40 tonnes.”
He noted that if a farmer follows a package of practices like providing sufficient water to the mulberry plants and maintaining the required temperature in the silkworm rearing room, each farmer could rear a healthy and good number of cocoons, which could earn him ₹4 lakh for one acre per year.
The total mulberry area in the State is spread over more than one lakh hectares, and the silk production is recorded at 13,275 tonnes on average every year. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Prices of silk cocoons and raw silk shoot up
Mallikarjun Swamy, Joint Director, Department of Sericulture, said farmers are receiving a good price for cocoons as the supply is low and demand is high.
“There are private reelers who buy tonnes of cocoons on a daily basis for the production of raw silk. For instance, the price of bivoltine cocoons reached ₹1,120 per kg a few days ago. This is a record price. As of October 7, the price was ₹998 per kg. Two months ago, the price was ₹600 to ₹700 per kg. Similarly, the price of multivoltine cocoons is ₹890 to ₹900 per kg, which was ₹500 to ₹600 per kg,” Mr. Swamy said.
Cost of raw silk increased
As the price of cocoons has increased, so has the price of raw silk. Parvez Pasha, president of the Ramanagara Reelers Silk Association, said, “The first-grade quality of raw silk cost has increased from ₹5,850 to ₹6,700 per kg. The second quality and others have also increased by ₹500 to ₹1,000 per kg. However, the rate keeps varying, depending on the price of the cocoons in the market, production of cocoons and the weather conditions.”