The following points highlight the top eight advantages of sericulture. The advantages are: 1. High Employment Potential 2. Provides Vibrancy to Rural Economy 3. Low Gestation, High Returns 4. Women-friendly Occupation 5. Ideal Programme for the Weaker Section of the Society 6. Eco-Friendly Properties 7. Scope for Professional Training 8. Facilities for Seri-Culturists.
Advantage # 1. High Employment Potential:
Only sericulture can generate vast employment. No other industry generates this kind of employment. Hence, it is used as a tool for rural economic reconstruction.
Advantage # 2. Provides Vibrancy to Rural Economy:
It is estimated that about 57% of the gross value of silk fabrics flow back to cocoon growers, who in general are rural people with share of income to different groups as follows : 56.8% to cocoon growers; 6.8% to the reelers, 9.1% to the twisters; 10.7% to the weavers; 16.6% to the trade. Thus, large amount of income from silk industry goes back to villages from the cities.
Advantage # 3. Low Gestation, High Returns:
Investment of only Rs. 12,000 to Rs. 15,000 (excluding cost of land and rearing space) for mulberry cultivation and silkworm rearing in one acre of irrigated land can generate net income levels up to Rs. 30,000/acre/ annum.
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Mulberry takes only six months to grow for starting silkworm rearing and once planted it can support five crops in one year under tropical condition. Depending on the management, rearing at least for 15 years can be continued in the same land.
Advantage # 4. Women-friendly Occupation:
Different activities of sericulture starting from mulberry garden management, leaf harvesting and silkworm rearing even reeling and weaving can effectively be supported by women workers. In India, it has been found that over 60% of sericulture employees constitutes the women folk.
Advantage # 5. Ideal Programme for the Weaker Section of the Society:
Low land holders even can start sericulture. Silkworm rearing in 3/4 acres of mulberry garden can support a family of three without hiring labour. Moreover, vast areas of tasar food plantation are available in different forests of India; if judiciously exploited for rearing tasar silkworm, these can offer a great supplementary employment to tribal Indians.
Advantage # 6. Eco-Friendly Properties:
(i) Soil preservation:
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Being perennial plant with green foliage, mulberry contributes to soil preservation and provides vast green covers,
(ii) Manures:
Wastes from silk worm rearing can be recycled for mulberry garden preparation as manures,
(iii) Fuel source:
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Dried mulberry twigs and branches can be used as fuels by the farmers, thus in turn can reduce the pressure on nearby vegetation or forest,
(iv) Pollution control:
Being an agro-based industry, it requires minimum use of fuel machinery, thus reduces air pollution,
(v) Integrated farming:
With other plantations like flower, vegetables, mulberry can be cultivated as intercrop, thus same land can be used for various productions,
(vi) Uses of land:
Besides cultivation lands, water shade areas, hill slopes, vacant lands, etc. can also be used for the deep-rooted mulberry plants.
Advantage # 7. Scope for Professional Training:
Sericulture departments of various states arrange for training on different aspects of sericulture to the farmers with monthly stipend and field training.
At national level, the Central Silk Board (CSB) organises three kinds of programmes. The first is open to all, the second to in-service personnel and the third to the farmers. Short term courses. Intensive Training Programmes are also organised by CSB from time to time.
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The International Centre for Training and Research in Tropical Sericulture (ICTRETS), Mysore conducts three courses on tropical sericulture at international level. In the vocational scheme, sanctioned by UGC, students can take sericulture as their subject of choice. Thus, sericulture is providing a wide scope for choosing profession to all sorts of people in the society.
Advantage # 8. Facilities for Seri-Culturists:
Besides providing field and educational trainings, Regional Extension Centres and Technical Service Centres of both State and Central Sericulture Boards supply advanced-staged larvae to the rearers; rearing appliances and other raw materials like mulberry samplings are supplied at nominal cost to the rearers. Incentive bonus is offered to bivoltine rearers.
Crop insurance schemes have been offered specially to bivoltine farmers to protect against any failure. In remote rural areas, farmers are supplied with pamphlets or other essential details of methods of rearing, use of bed disinfectants, insecticides, etc.