Mysuru institute to hold conference with State farmers today

RANIPET: The Mysuru-based Sericulture Research Institute will hold a video conference with sericulture farmers across Tamil Nadu between 10 am and 2 pm on Wednesday to identify issues plaguing the sector.

Conveying this, a state official said that sericulture farmers, who are going through tough times, may find the session beneficial.

“Sericulture farmers have been given individual passwords to login into the session,” said Balachandran, AD of the sericulture department in Vaniyambadi.

“The conference will focus on addressing the problems faced by sericulture farmers across Tamil Nadu and not just from Ranipet district,” he added.

“The 60-odd farmers involved in sericulture in Ranipet district are hit financially as they haven’t been paid compensation for sterile larva or for larva deaths,” sources said.

Poongavanam, a sericulture farmer, told DT Next, “government does not take sericulture seriously, especially in Ranipet district, and has turned a deaf ear to our repeated pleas.”

“The farmers are hit so badly that they are contemplating moving onto other professions. Earlier we were covered under insurance with each farmer paying Rs 179 as premium.

When it was raised to Rs 290, the government decided to bear the increase in the premium. However, with the scheme yet to take effect, farmers have been left without compensation from January onwards,” Poongavanam said.

Explaining the problem, the farmer said that larva provided were sterile and died on the 17th or 18th day without lasting for the full 21 days.

Sericulture farmers of the district are in such deep trauma that three farmers at Kaveripakkam burnt the dead larvae. “The larva died and so the three farmers burnt them” Poongavanam said.

A farmer spends nearly Rs 30,000 per acre for sericulture, but compensation provided is always miniscule. “The compensation has never crossed Rs 10,000 and is usually around Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000,” farmers stated.