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ReturnIndia:Sericulture emerges as lucrative farm practice
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PublishDate：
2008-02-14 16:44:00
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Bangalore, Feb 10 Sericulture proved to be a profitable farm practice, when compared to other cash crops including fruits. According to a paper presented by the National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning (NBSSLUP) and the Directorate of Sericulture of Maharashtra, sericulture could yield higher income even when it was cultivated in fields suitable for other cash crops like paddy, wheat, and cotton.
In the study area of Vidarbha region in Maharashtra, which is well known for production of fruit crops like orange and guava, acreage and productivity is declining gradually due to imbalance in climatic condition and recurrence of pests and diseases.
In horticulture, a farmer has to wait for more than six years for fruits to bear and ten years for optimum income. On the other hand, the productivity of cash crop like cotton has not been steady due to erratic and unpredictable rainfall, disease outbreak, inadequate marketing facilities, and government policies.
To understand yielding capacity of different crops, field trials were conducted in Kuchi taluk in Vidarbha region, which is predominantly a paddy area. Paddy-sunflower, soybean-wheat, soybean-gram, and mulberry were the components of the farming system in Kuchi area.
It was noted that higher productivity potential under paired row planting of mulberry could be achieved in Vidarbha, although it is not a traditional belt for sericulture. The mulberry crop efficiently utilised sub-soil moisture of deep soils by shrink-swell in the dry period. The income from mulberry started after three months of plantation with optimum production from the second year onwards. In marginal lands with protective irrigation, farmers fetched higher returns from sericulture than traditional crops, and also generated employment for more than 170 mandays.
The income from sericulture was found to be highest at Rs 82,315 per hectare per year against the cost of cultivation of Rs 26, 515. The sericulture fetched 300% profit on investment. But paddy-sunflower fetched Rs 33, 242 against an investment of Rs 12, 133 at a profit rate of 173%, followed by soybean-wheat at Rs 23, 744 for an investment of Rs 8,760 at a profit rate of 171%. Even soyabean-gram fetched only Rs 18,995 against an investment of Rs 7,375.
Source: Industry Website
In the study area of Vidarbha region in Maharashtra, which is well known for production of fruit crops like orange and guava, acreage and productivity is declining gradually due to imbalance in climatic condition and recurrence of pests and diseases.
In horticulture, a farmer has to wait for more than six years for fruits to bear and ten years for optimum income. On the other hand, the productivity of cash crop like cotton has not been steady due to erratic and unpredictable rainfall, disease outbreak, inadequate marketing facilities, and government policies.
To understand yielding capacity of different crops, field trials were conducted in Kuchi taluk in Vidarbha region, which is predominantly a paddy area. Paddy-sunflower, soybean-wheat, soybean-gram, and mulberry were the components of the farming system in Kuchi area.
It was noted that higher productivity potential under paired row planting of mulberry could be achieved in Vidarbha, although it is not a traditional belt for sericulture. The mulberry crop efficiently utilised sub-soil moisture of deep soils by shrink-swell in the dry period. The income from mulberry started after three months of plantation with optimum production from the second year onwards. In marginal lands with protective irrigation, farmers fetched higher returns from sericulture than traditional crops, and also generated employment for more than 170 mandays.
The income from sericulture was found to be highest at Rs 82,315 per hectare per year against the cost of cultivation of Rs 26, 515. The sericulture fetched 300% profit on investment. But paddy-sunflower fetched Rs 33, 242 against an investment of Rs 12, 133 at a profit rate of 173%, followed by soybean-wheat at Rs 23, 744 for an investment of Rs 8,760 at a profit rate of 171%. Even soyabean-gram fetched only Rs 18,995 against an investment of Rs 7,375.
Source: Industry Website
