Silk farm in Yercaud to attract tourists

The state planning commission has approved the project under the ‘State Innovation Fund’ and a government silk farm in the Yercaud hills in Salem district is also part of it, he added. 

The farm envisages landscaping of the area and establishing mulberry plots at an estimated Rs 60 lakh, while another Rs 90 lakh would be spent on constructing exhibition hall, food court, sales outlets and related civic amenities, he added. 

Similarly, Rs 50 lakh each has been earmarked to create a children’s park, lawn, permanent science exhibition and animation centre in addition to establishing a model silk reeling and twisting units and weaving and wet processing units. 

The minister added that Yercaud was chosen as sericulture was practised in a large scale in ten districts including Namakkal, Salem Dharampuri, Vellore, Krishnagiri, Erode, Tirupur, Dindigul, Theni and Tirunelveli. 

Stating that the state government had sent proposals to the tune of Rs 5.81 crore to the Central Silk Board for 2016-17, he said the major portions were earmarked for the Beneficiary Empowerment Programme (BEP) (Rs 1.05 crore), establishment of multi-end silk reeling machines (Rs 1.11 crore) and another Rs 1.50 crore for supply of disinfectants. 

Referring to the department’s achievements, he said cocoon productivity had increased from 73.90 kg per 100 silk worm layings to 76.90 kg. Similarly, production of bi-voltine silk increased from 75.34 per cent in 2014-15 to 80.71 per cent. 

Also cocoon production through the Cluster Promotion programme in 28 villages had increased from 75.54 kg to 78 kg, the minister said.