Altaf Hamid Rao,
MIRPUR (Parliament Times): “An attractive additional amount of income can be earned through silkworm rearing by the existing and intending Sericulture farmers in the private sector in Azad Jammu Kashmir State where huge natural conducive environment and potential already prevails to flourish this fast emerging cottage industry”, official sources said.
This was disclosed by Director of Sericulture Department of Azad Jammu Kashmir government Syed Ali Asghar Shah in an exclusive interview to this Correspondent on Saturday at the side line of a camp managed to supervise the disposal of the silk cocoon directly by the silk farmers in the private sector to the intending buyers at Nalochi Mulberry Station in the AJK State metropolis.
The silk farmers belonging to Chinnari town of Jhelum Valley district and Nalouchi area of Muzaffarabad district sold out their Rs. 2.72 lakh worth self~produced silk cocoon to the buyers belonging to Changa Manga area of Lahore under the supervision of of officials of the Sericulture Department of AJ&K government. Sericulture Department, it is worthwhile to mention here, use to provide free of cost silk seed besides due technical assistance, know how and cooperation to the farmers under the stpulated police of the government with prime focus not only to boost the Sericulture cottage Industry but also to implement the Poverty alleviation program of the government in the State.
Fahad Kyani Assistant Director Sericulture, Rashid Hussain Field Assistant, Ghulam Shah Usmani Seed Supervisor and other officials supervised the whole process of disposal of the cocoon by the farmers to the successful entrepreneur. Director AJK Sericulture continued thabesides the fresh private sector silk farmers, the silk farmers trained by the Sericulture department during last year were also provided mulberry plants, urea and rearing kits with imported silk seed for their motivation towards silkworm rearing for their livelihood, poverty alleviation and economic uplift. By utilising skills, incentives and facilities provided by the Sericulture department of AJK, some farmers from Chinnari district Jhelum Valley and Nalouchi district Muzaffarabad collectively sold out almost 80 Kg of their produced / dry silk cocoon @ Rs. 3400/- per Kg, Syed Ali Asghar Shah underlined. Our Special AJK Correspondent Altaf Hamid Rao understands that the centuries~old silkworm rearing is a home based / traditional economic activity of the State of Jammu Kashmir in view of its being very useful and attractive for economic uplift of the low~incime farmers and even women folk of the State. “Additional income can be enhanced through silkworm rearing by availing favourable climate of the region and technical guidance of the Sericulture department in AJK” some of the farmers including Khameed, Naeem, Naveed, Rasheed, Subhan, Manzoor, Rafaqat and others expressed while sharing their views to this Correspondent on this occasion.
