BSDB implementing projects involving Tk 96.83cr

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RAJSHAHI, Oct 5, 2019 (BSS)- Bangladesh Silk Development Board (BSDB) has
been implementing three projects involving around Taka 96.83 crore aimed at
improving living and livelihood condition of the targeted grassroots people
particularly the poor and distressed women through substantial and
sustainable development of the traditional silk sector.

Headquartered in Rajshahi, the BSDB is implementing the projects in almost
throughout the country particularly the potential ones for the silk farming
and rearing with the main thrust of achieving the sustainable development
goals in light of the Government’s Seventh Five Year Plan.

BSDB Director General Abdul Hakim said the projects will sure
supplementing the government efforts of building social safety net side by
side with transforming the villages into towns in phases upon successful
implementation of those by 2023.

Main objective of the five-year project titled “Sericulture Extension and
Development” is to generate employment of around 50,000 hardcore poor and
landless women for elevating their socio-economic condition through involving
them in sericulture.

Another five-year project styled “Poverty Reduction in Hilly Chattogram
Districts through Extension and Development of Sericulture” is being
implemented in the hilly districts with the main thrusts of freeing around
15,000 extreme poor and landless women from poverty through their engagement
in silk-related income generation activities.

Another 15,000 poor and distressed women will get scopes of improving
their living and livelihood condition through intervention of another five-
year project titled “Poverty Reduction in Greater Rangpur districts through
Extension of Sericulture”.

Hakim said 620-bigha mulberry grounds will be developed and maintained
side by side with production and distribution of 23.5 lakh silk-eggs and 23
lakh mulberry saplings among the farmers through implementation of the
projects.

“We are going to establish 37 ideal silk villages and 500 mulberry
blocks,” he said adding that 43,000-kilogram silk-cocoons will be purchased
from the growers.

More than 4,800 farmers will be given input supports of silk-rearing and
6,300 others get necessary assistance of mulberry transplantation.

Under the schemes, 7,700 farmers will be given training on mulberry plants
rearing, silkworm nursing and yarn reeling.

Six chawki rearing-cum-display centres and one silk reeling weaving
training centre will be built.

Director General Hakim said the government has taken initiative to revive
the silk industry.

Market promotion works are also being progressed. The sericulture and silk
industry, by its nature, is a family based labor-intensive economic activity
that provides employment for the rural people.

He said initiative has been taken to re-launch the Rajshahi and Thakurgaon
Silk Factories fully. Five in Rajshahi Silk Factory has already been resumed.

At least 15 metric tons of silk yearn could be manufactured along with job
creation scope for around 10,000 people if we can resume all the 58 looms in
the two state-owned factories, he added.

He said sericulture has a huge prospect if we could nurture it properly as
there is a huge potential export market for our silk. Hakim, however, said
BSDB has a plan of bringing Chinese experts to train the local farmers that
will help boosting silk production.