How KVIC is helping Cocoon Farmers in Tamil Nadu?

Khadi and Village Industries Commission or KVIC, an autonomous body under Ministry of MSME, in collaboration with its Khadi Institutions (KIs) in Tamil Nadu has discharged its responsibility once again by buying cocoons from cocoon farmers. 

Under it, the main objective of KVIC was to help the cocoon farmers who are struggling in selling their crop amid covid-19 lockdown pandemic. The next was to ensure continuous supply of Cocoons to the khadi institutions which are involved in Silk production. 

Chairman, KVIC, Mr. Vinai Saxena said, “PM Narendra Modi said that farmers are the backbone of the country. Keeping in mind their welfare, these purchases were not as easy as it looks. As per the procedure in vogue, Silk producing KIs have to purchase silk cocoons from the State Government regulated sericulture markets only. Therefore, permission was required from the district administration & from sericulture department for the direct purchase from the farmers.”  

He further added, “As a result of constant efforts & ability to narrate the cocoon farmer’s hardships in front of district administration & before the sericulture department effectively by the KVIC officials in Chennai, the district administration finally granted the permission. Had we not made these purchases now, then the damage to the farmers would have been unbearable”. 

This deal was necessary because of the fact that reared cocoon must be steamed within 5 days, or else the larvae would come out of it after cutting the cocoon shell. Thus, making the entire crop a complete waist. Cut cocoons cannot be used for reeling the silk yarn. In this sense, these purchases are blessing for the cocoon farmers. 

KVIC’s Chennai office in coordination with 6 Khadi institutions has facilitated the purchase of around 9500 kgs of the cocoon directly from the farmers, worth more than Rs 40 lakhs. Six more KIs are expected to get permission soon to purchase 8000 kgs cocoon directly from farmers. 

KVIC has always shown great concern for the farmer’s development in particular & Khadi institutions in general. Be it taking the historic initiative of setting up first-ever Silk Processing Plant in Surendranagar in Gujrat while reducing the cost of production of silk yarn drastically to implement plans & policies to uplift cocoon farmers. KVIC has left no stone unturned & is consistently striving to make India a better place for farmers, producers, and the consumer. 

Source: PIB