RAJSHAHI, May 30, 2019 (BSS)- Speakers at a meeting here stressed the need for making the sericulture more effective and modernized for generating employment opportunities in the rural areas side by side with cutting its poverty.
They observed that scientific method and devises should be promoted in the grassroots level sericulture and mulberry farming to make the people interested and inspired to the process so that the sector can be revitalized.
The observation came at a daylong conference- 2019 related to sericulture in farming method at Bagha Upazila Parishad Conference Hall in the district yesterday. Upazila Administration and Regional Silk Extension Office jointly organized the conference in association with Bangladesh Silk Development Board (BSDB) discussing and devising ways and means on how to intensify the silk sector.
BSDB Director General Abdul Hakim addressed the meeting as chief guest while its Member Abdul Mannan and Secretary Zayedul Islam spoke as special guests with Upazila Nirbahi Officer Saheen Reza in the chair.
Chief Extension Officer Emdadul Bari, Director of Bangladesh Sericulture Research and Training Institute Monsur Ali and Bagha Upazila Chairman Advocate Layeb Uddin also spoke.
Abdul Hakim said boosting production of local yarn can help revitalising the silk sector to regain its lost legacy alongside meeting up the existing local demands. Importance should be given on how to boost up the grassroots yarn production through proper utilising the existing natural and other infrastructural resources.
He viewed that the local consumption could be met up through domestic outputs after the best uses of the existing natural resources and there is no doubt in this regard.
Besides, he told the meeting that BSDB has implemented two major projects distributing 2.109 million mulberry plants, 2.245 million disinfected silk cocoon and 633,000 eggs among the farmers during last ten years.
Around 6471 kilograms of silk yarn were produced in the public miniflature centres. A silk design and display centre has been built side by side with various other infrastructure developments. Apart from, 300 mulberry blocks were established in expansion areas for boosting capacity of the sericulture farmers.
In the light of prime minister’s direction, sericulture has been incorporated in the ‘Ekti Bari, Ekti Khamar (EBEK)’ project for strengthening the agro-based economy through reviving the lost glory of sericulture. Under the joint venture, around 2.68 lakh mulberry plants were distributed among 1,680 EBEK members. Some 777 of them were given need-based training on how to plant and nurse the plants properly.