DHARMAPURI: Silk reelers in Dharmapuri distressed by the delayed payments from the Government Anna Silk Exchange in Salem urged the sericulture department to regulate payments. A subsidy has also been requested for new machines to boost production in Dharmapuri.
Dharmapuri has one of the largest silk cocoon productions in the state, with an average yield of over 15 lakh tonnes. The produced silk cocoons are often auctioned in the Dharmapuri silk cocoon market, where they can be purchased in bulk to produce silk threads. But delayed payment has hampered the livelihood of reelers in Dharmapuri.
V Manikam from A Jettihalli told TNIE, "Dharmapuri has about 70 silk reelers. The cottage industry is thriving because of the local supply of silk cocoons at the Dharmapuri four road junction markets. The trade is primarily a small-scale business with over 400 families relying on silk thread production for their daily livelihood. On an average day, the business can produce 1 to 1.5 kg of silk threads per machine. We require about 7 to 8 kg of cocoons to make one kg of thread. In most cases, the silk thread produced in Dharmapuri is sold to the Government Anna Silk Exchange or TANSILK in Salem and Kancheepuram. But we are not paid immediately; it takes about two or three days for the reelers to get their payment. This places us at a disadvantage as we not only need to pay wages to the workers, but also purchase additional silk cocoons for daily processing and transportation. Further, we need the money to support our livelihood."
Another reeler, M Gautham from Dharmapuri, said, "Our machines were provided under central government subsidies nearly four decades ago. Now most of us are using worn-out and broken equipments, making the reeling process difficult. We need new reeling machines. But presently, there are no subsidies available for us. We need new schemes providing subsidies for us."
Officials in the sericulture department told TNIE, "The Government Anna Silk exchange in Salem being a branch, the transactions are forwarded to the headquarters in Kancheepuram, and the funds are released from there to ensure fair trade. But the processing may take about one or two days. We will ensure faster transactions." Speaking about subsidies, they said, "There are both state and central government subsidies. Farmers who have already claimed machinery through subsidies are not eligible. But interested people can approach the sericulture office, and efforts would be taken."