Govt to stabilise cocoon price

On Sunday, farmers blocked the Mysore-Bangalore highway for hours to protest against the sudden crash in prices of cocoons and also seeking the market intervention.

Sericulture Minister B N Bache Gowda told the Legislative Assembly on Monday the Board required Rs 35 crore for ameliorating the distress of the farmers.

“The government is with the farmers and there is no need to panic,” Bache Gowda said. The price of cocoons which had crashed on Monday recovered to Rs 225 - 250 per kg.

The price would further stabilise and the agitating farmers have withdrawn their protest, he said, adding that the markets are functioning normally.

The minister said the reasons for the sudden crash in prices are not known, but added that the demand in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu for silk cocoons had reduced.

The minister said Karnataka accounted for 50 per cent of the country’s total raw silk production. The State produces 55,000 tonnes of cocoons and 8,000 tonnes of raw silk annually.

D K Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah (Cong) said the price of cocoons had crashed from Rs 330-350 to Rs 120-130 a kg in Ramanagara, Kolar, Shidlaghatta, Kanakapura and surrounding areas. Silk reelers were not purchasing the raw material, they said, urging the government to intervene immediately to stabilise the cocoon price.

In the Council, Opposition members raised the issue during the Zero Hour. Promising government intervention to stabilise the price, Gowda said land under mulberry cultivation in the state was likely to cross two lakh hectare during the year.