Punjab to launch silk products under own brand Horticulture Minister Jouramajra

Chandigarh, Sep 21 (PTI) The Punjab government on Saturday said it will introduce state-produced silk products in the market under its label.
     During the state-level Silk Day function here, Horticulture Minister Chetan Singh Jouramajra launched the department's logo for silk products.
     He announced that every effort would be made to double silk production in the state by the end of 2025.
     Jouramajra said that sericulture is currently practised in approximately 230 villages across the sub-mountainous districts of Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Pathankot and Rupnagar.
     He said the state primarily produces two types of silk- bivoltine mulberry and eri silk.
     Annually, 1,000 to 1,100 ounces of mulberry silk seeds are reared, yielding 30,000 to 35,000 kg of mulberry silk cocoons, while 200 ounces of eri silk seeds produce 5,000 to 8,000 kg of eri silk cocoons.
     "This occupation is predominantly adopted by people living below the poverty line, landless individuals or those with small landholdings", said the minister, adding that currently, a silk farmer has an annual income of Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000, which is considered insufficient.
     Addressing the issue of fair prices for silk produce to increase farmers' income, Jouramajra stated that the government would establish its reeling units to process cocoons, ensuring silk farmers receive higher prices for their produce.
     A reeling unit for converting cocoons into silk thread is being set up in Pathankot. With operationalization of this unit, the income can potentially increase by 1.5 to 2 times, he said.
     He also mentioned the significant step of reactivating the state's sole silk seed production centre in Dalhousie (Himachal Pradesh) to reduce production costs and provide farmers with seeds at affordable rates.
     Special Chief Secretary (Horticulture) K A P Sinha said that the state has 13 government sericulture farms and with the established infrastructure at these farms, the department's technical staff is providing necessary facilities to silk farmers, such as plantation assistance, distribution of silkworm eggs, rearing young silkworms and support for cocoon marketing.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)