Tseminyu sericulture farmers earn up to INR 40,000 per crop as MRMA 2.0 promotes scientific silk production across Nagaland
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KOHIMA — Sericulture has become a significant source of income for rural households in Tseminyu, with more than 80% of families in the district reportedly engaged in eri silkworm rearing, according to the district sericulture office.
Tseminyu District Sericulture Officer Vilhouseinuo Khro said farmers could earn between INR 20,000 and INR 40,000 from rearing 50 disease-free layings (DFLs) in a crop cycle lasting about 20 to 25 days.
Speaking to Eastern Mirror on the sidelines of the technology transfer campaign Mera Resham, Mera Abhimaan (MRMA) 2.0, Khro said that farmers earned from both pupae and cocoons. The peak season typically runs from July to October, when farmers receive orders and pre-orders for their produce.
She described sericulture as one of the quicker ways for rural households to generate income, particularly as families still need to purchase essential commodities even when they grow vegetables for their own consumption.
Eri silkworm rearing is particularly popular in Tseminyu, with farmers involved in both small- and large-scale production. Khro encouraged them to continue with the activity, saying she hoped the district would emerge as one of Nagaland’s leading silk-producing areas.
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She said that eri silkworms were generally hardy and could withstand changing climatic conditions, making crop losses relatively uncommon. However, officials inspect farms during crop seasons as a precaution.
Khro stressed the importance of scientific intervention to increase production and encourage more farmers to take up sericulture commercially. She added that improved technologies being promoted under MRMA 2.0 could help farmers improve rearing practices and increase their returns.
Dr. Kaiho Kaisa, Scientist B at the Central Silk Board (CSB), Ministry of Textiles, said the MRMA 2.0 campaign was intended to bridge the gap between farmers and technologies developed to improve sericulture.
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The campaign seeks to supplement traditional practices with improved scientific methods and strengthen farmers’ knowledge of sericulture, she added.
Kaisa said that increasing farmers’ incomes would take time, but the immediate focus was on reducing crop losses and improving productivity through scientific interventions.
These include improved rearing techniques, better management of rearing conditions, cleanliness and hygiene, and the use of improved, disease-resistant host plants capable of producing higher leaf yields.
Such measures would help farmers reduce losses and increase productivity, ultimately leading to higher incomes, she said.
MRMA 2.0 covers 218 districts across the country, including four in Nagaland — Dimapur, Mokokchung, Chümoukedima and Tseminyu.
Kaisa explained that the districts were selected as major silk-producing areas and that the campaign would take a location-specific approach to identify challenges faced by farmers and introduce suitable interventions.
As part of the campaign, the CSB has begun baseline surveys to assess existing sericulture practices and challenges in different regions. The findings will be used to determine appropriate technologies and interventions for the respective areas.
Kaisa said that adopting improved technologies in day-to-day practices could help increase both the quality and quantity of silk production.
She also pointed to Nagaland’s favourable agro-climatic conditions and availability of host plants as advantages for sericulture. The state’s traditional handloom-weaving skills, she added, could further strengthen the sector by linking improved sericulture practices with existing livelihoods.
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