TN: Cocoon arrivals fall as water scarcity hits Coimbatore sericulture

Coimbatore, Oct 12 (SocialNews.XYZ) Sericulture farmers in the Coimbatore region are facing declining output as water shortages and high temperatures affect mulberry cultivation and silkworm rearing.

The production setback has reduced supplies to the government cocoon market, sending prices sharply upward.

Arrivals at the Coimbatore market have dropped by 30 to 40 per cent during the past three months against the earlier daily average of about 1.5 tonnes. The decline reflects difficulties farmers face in maintaining production amid adverse weather conditions.

Auction prices climbed to Rs 820-850 a kilogram last week as supplies tightened, before settling at approximately Rs 750 in recent days.

The Coimbatore facility is among nearly 18 government cocoon markets operating across Tamil Nadu to facilitate sales by farmers. The shortage has coincided with a steep contraction in mulberry cultivation, which supplies the leaves needed to feed silkworms.

Acreage has shrunk by more than half, from around 1,200 acres to approximately 500 acres, weakening the sector’s production base.

With irrigation becoming increasingly difficult, farmers have cut back cultivation, including on larger holdings.

The extended rainfall deficit, attributed to the El Niño effect, has created drought-like conditions, limiting water availability and disrupting the supply of mulberry leaves essential for silkworm rearing. Recent showers have offered limited relief. But unseasonal rainfall has reportedly encouraged microbial diseases in mulberry plants, hampering growth and further reducing leaf yields.

Farmers are consequently struggling with both water scarcity and damage to their remaining crops. The crisis has interrupted a recovery that began after the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Some farmers who returned to sericulture in anticipation of improved prospects are now facing declining output and worsening irrigation difficulties.

In one farm near Avinashi in Tiruppur district, the borewell water level has reportedly dropped from around 500 feet last year to nearly 1,000 feet, illustrating the growing pressure on groundwater resources.

High temperatures have also reduced cocoon yields. Production from one disease-free laying, or DFL, has declined from approximately one kilogram to about 600 grams. A batch of 75 DFLs now produces only around 45 kilograms of cocoons. Higher auction prices come amid falling harvest volumes, leaving farmers with fewer cocoons to sell. Shrinking mulberry acreage, depleted groundwater, and reduced silkworm productivity together underscore the difficulties confronting a sector that had only recently begun recovering from its pandemic-era slowdown.

Source: IANS