DHARMAPURI: With the intensifying summer heat, mulberry farmers have reportedly been struggling to keep their mulberry trees alive. The lack of water affects not only the trees but also the silkworms and the cocoons they produce. Sericulturists in Dharmapuri say production could decline by up to 20% in the upcoming month due to the intense heatwave.
Dharmapuri district has about 724.25 acres of mulberry plantations dedicated to aiding sericulturist trade, with production of over 17 lakh tonnes of silk cocoons annually. Due to the apt climatic conditions, the district has a sericulture market at four roads junction, where 1-3 tonnes of silk cocoons are auctioned on a daily basis on average, with the participation of 50 to 90 farmers.
However, the intense heatwave this summer has left farmers disappointed, as the price of silk cocoons and the quality of the cocoons have dropped.
MG Manivannan, a sericulturist from Madhikonpalayam, said, "In the heat, the quality of mulberry we get is affected. The trees are affected by the heatwave and the lack of moisture is affecting production. This has led to a drop in the quality of mulberry nursing the silkworms, which affects the quality of the silk cocoon."
Another sericulturist, B Mahalingam from Pennagaram, said, "We could manage the situation if we had more water. Right now, the entire district is facing acute shortage of water for cultivation and this has impacted sericulture trade too. Usually in the summer, the dry climate improves the quality of our cocoons, but the intense heatwave this year has stunted the silkworms and directly impacted the quality of the cocoons. We need more water to improve the production of mulberry."
On Wednesday, the average price of a kilo of silk cocoon was Rs 537, while the maximum price was Rs 674. Earlier, the average price was around Rs 650 and the highest price auctioned had crossed Rs 725.
Commenting on the situation, officials in the sericulture department said, "With proper heat management, the issue could be resolved. We have offered training to farmers, but the heatwave is too intense and the moisture is very low. At present, we have an average trade of 50 tonnes in the Dharmapuri silk cocoon market. We expect the production to drop by at least 10 to 20%.
Due to the lack of minimum moisture levels in the cocoon, reelers would face problems while extracting silk threads. In some cases, there are small black spots on the cocoons caused by the heat. Further, the low moisture causes a slight discoloration on the threads produced. So the trade has reduced. This season's impacts would be eliminated after the summer passes. "
