The State Government on Friday announced incentives to sericulture farmers producing bivoltine cocoons and said new cocoon markets will be set up in Haveri and Kalaburagi.
Presenting the State Budget 2022-23, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said Karnataka stood first in silk production in the country and the government, to further encourage sericulture farmers, will be offerring an incentive of ₹10,000 for every tonne of bivoltine the farmer sells in government silk cocoon markets.
Also, the government said hi-tech government cocoon markets will be established in Kalaburagi and Haveri districts at a cost of ₹15 crore with assistance from NABARD.
Former Deputy Director of Sericulture, Government of Karnataka, N.Y. Chigari told The Hindu that the cocoon markets in North Karnataka districts of Haveri and Kalaburagi will facilitate the sericulture farmers of the region. For, they had to travel to all the way to Ramanagaram to market their produce.
Also, he said the incentive for farmers producing bivoltine silk was in existence earlier, but had been withdrawn. Now, the incentive has been restored to encourage the farmers.
The Budget has promised to extend an incentive to reelers along with the farmers for producing raw silk.
Mr. Bommai said cold storage units will be established in Maddur, Ranebennur and Devanahalli at a cost of ₹15 crore on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model to produce and store dipause eggs.
Also, a well-equipped training centre for all production activities of silk will be established in PPP model in K.R. Pet of Mandya district. Mr Bomma said e-Weighment and e-Payment facility will be implemented in all cocoon markets to provide transparency and fair price to silk farmers.
With a view to protecting the interests of silk farmers and reelers, Karnataka Silk Marketing Board will purchase raw silk whenever there is a fall in the prices of cocoon and raw silk, he said.
