‘State to soon augment infra of cocoon market at Kaliachowk’

Kolkata: The state government will soon augment the infrastructure of its existing cocoon market at Kaliachowk in Malda primarily for creating storage space and follow it up with a pilot project of rearing silkworms in a controlled environment for producing cocoons that can match the strength and other qualities of a bivoltine silk content variety.

This will be the first significant step after the state MSME and Textiles department recently joined hands with the Agriculture department for further enhancement in the quality of silk yarn used in the handloom industry across the state and to reduce the import of thread from states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Jammu & Kashmir and Bihar too.

“The pilot project will be initiated at the sericulture farm of the state Agriculture department at Malda. If this pilot project succeeds, we will further adopt the technique for boosting the silk handloom industry that thrives in Malda, Murshidabad, Bishnupur (Bankura) and Alipurduar,” said a senior Nabanna official.

The official informed that a joint team from the Textile and Sericulture directorate has already visited Malda and held a local meeting under the chairmanship of the District Magistrate and other concerned district officials responsible for supervision of the project.

The Thai reeling process that is prevalent in the state is manual and the quality of yarn often lacks the strength that matches international standard. The extremely humid environment in the state has been identified as an impediment in rearing bivoltine silkworms in the state.

Basically, bivoltine silkworms are from temperate regions and if they are to be raised under rigorous tropical conditions appropriate modifications and observance of certain conditions is necessary.

The basic purpose is to improve the quality and quantity of local silk yarn mostly by shifting from the traditional, often hand-operated, method of silk reeling so that the handloom weavers’ livelihood is enhanced and more employment can be generated in this sector with the prospect of greater price for their produce.

Senior government officials from the Directorate of Textiles, Sericulture Directorate, and Tamralipta Spinning Mill have been handed over the responsibility for taking this project forward. Tamralipta will set up two reeling units at the silk park in Malda.