Jhumpura: Good news for silk farmers in this tribal-dominated block of Keonjhar district. To boost tussar-farming in the forested region, the government would set up a seed-producing centre and construct a building for the tussar farmers’ society at Kasia village.
Sub-collector Parel Patwari visited the village Thursday, accompanied by sericulture officer Sadananda Behera, block welfare officer Ashutosh Loknath Ghadei and the project administrator of Champua ITDA and held talks with over a 100 tussar farmers. They included Sarat Munda, Laba Munda, Mangal Munda, Binod Nayak, Trilochan Munda, Sunaram Munda, Kali Nayak and Siga Munda.
The joy of the farmers knew no bounds after hearing about the much-awaited project. Kasia and several other forested areas are suitable for tussar-farming. Hundreds of farmers have been doing silk cultivation for decades in Kasia, Balabhadrapur, Nunagadia, Andharikhaman and Patua Kudar. However, for the last few years, the farmers have to face loss in the farming due to lack of the right kind of seeds. They had drawn attention of the sericulture officials about the problems.
Besides, Arjuna plants, which sustain the growth of the silk worms, are depleting in the area.
The farmers had been demanding large-scale plantation of Arjun trees, besides construction of a building for the silk-farmers’ society and a seed-producing centre. Odia daily Dharitri and English daily Orissa Post had carried reports about the plight of the silk farmers in November 2017.
