Sericulture
Has Potential
SERICULTURE is
increasingly becoming popular nowadays among the Nepalese farmers in different parts of
the country. Women are especially more attracted towards this cash crop as it greatly
augments their income. Though Nepal is an agricultural country with the majority of the
people relying on agriculture for their survival, the sector has not delivered the goods
as desired as farmers mostly grow cereal crops. But recently there has been a new concept
and the trend of diversifying the system farming in Nepal. Emphasis has now been placed on
cash crops, as it is more profitable than cereal crops. In this connection, His
Majesty’s Government has launched programmes to encourage farmers to diversify crops
and opt for cash crops. As a result, farmers now grow different kinds of cash crops which
help raise the economic status of such farmers. Sericulture is one such area which has
attracted keen interest of the Nepalese farmers. The introduction of sericulture is a new
phenomenon in Nepal and offers more benefits to the farmers than going for other cash
crops. It is an income based farming and the rearing of silkworms can be done on small
area of land as they need less space. Silk, an expensive clothing material, is popular all
over the world and increases the grace of anyone who wears them. The material is valued
for its lustre and light weight. There is a huge market for silk both within and outside
Nepal. Although sericulture has tremendous potential and was introduced in Nepal 25 years
ago in Khopasi of Kavre district, it has not developed as a commercial venture as
expected. If sericulture received adequate attention and more interest among the farmers
are generated, the country could earn valuable foreign currency by exporting silk. The
requirements for sericulture are basic with mulberry trees as raw material and silkworms.
As Nepal is facing the problem of deforestation, the growth and development of sericulture
may help create greenery in the country because of the planting of abundant mulberry
trees. Moreover, it has multiple benefits: income generating, foreign currency earning and
protecting the environment. It is said that silk produced in Nepal is of high quality but
it cannot even meet the domestic demands. Hence, much silk is imported. Thus, it is
necessary to develop sericulture as an industrial and commercial venture, which would make
significant contribution in transforming the economic condition of the farmers. For this,
co-operation and co-ordination between the government and the private sector is highly
necessary besides the necessary technical and financial inputs..
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