Jhumpura: About a week after Orissa Post reported the plight of silk farmers of Malda in this block of Keonjhar district for the loss in silk farming, the government came forward to their recue and they may soon be provided compensation for the loss due to ‘substandard’ seeds.
A team of officials from Ranchi-based Central Silk Board led by its director Dr Ajit Sinha visited the affected areas for two days and assessed the damage and the causes behind it. The team visited Kasia under Jhumpura block Wednesday and Binjbahal under Telkoi Thursday. Silk farmers told the Central team that silkworms had dropped dead before harvest of cocoons.
Sinha was accompanied by scientist of Keonjhar-based silk board Dr Subrat Kumar Satpathy, silk board superintendent (Technical) Dasarathi Behera, deputy director of sericulture (Technical) SN Patnaik and assistant deputy director (Sericulture) Laxman Munda.
It was learnt that 64 silk farmers in Jhumpura block and 101 farmers in Telkoi block have suffered losses in farming. The team had recommended the government to pay Rs 1,000 each to farmers towards poor quality seeds and Rs 1,000 for the loss.
Dr Satpathy said, “The team visited the affected areas for two days and explored the reasons for the problem. About 80 per cent of cocoons have been damaged due to death of silkworms. Cold atmosphere induced by unseasonal rains during Diwali led to the silkworms’ death. Silkworms die either due to extreme cold or heat conditions.”
Orissa Post had reported November 5 that tribal silk farmers in Kasia, Balabhadrapur, Nunagadia of Malda panchayat, Kutugan, Chipinda, Sanajoda of Kutugan panchayat, Phuljhar and Dhaladihi under Bansapal block had suffered losses and demanded for compensation. PNN
