JOIN USMore than 15 farmers of the district, involved in sericulture, have committed suicide due to the crash in prices of cocoons and mounting debts. The government’s delay in releasing funds, amounting to Rs 14.18 crore, including incentives and financial aid, have left them in a lurch.
Out of 80 farmers, who committed suicide in the district of late, 15 are sericulturists. According to sources, seven are from Malavalli taluk, six from Maddur taluk, and two are from Mandya taluk. The prices of cocoons that were between Rs 250 and Rs 350 per kg have slumped to between Rs 140 and Rs 230 per kg.
The government has been providing 90 pc of funds to SC/ST’s and 50 pc funds to others to set up silk farming facilities at their houses. The financial aid of Rs 4.25 crore for last year is still pending. So, the farmers of the region, this year, availed bank loans and are involved in rearing silkworms. The sericulturists have been frequenting the offices of Sericulture department in this regard. “If the government fails to release the funds on time, it would put us into deep crisis,” sericulturists opined.
Incentives are paid to the farmers for every kg of silk produced. The farmers are paid Rs 30 per kg for hybrid cocoons and Rs 50 for Bivoltine breed. The farmers sell the cocoons once in two months, but the incentives have not been paid to them since one year. There are 32,000 silk farmers rearing silkworms on 14,719 hectares of land in the district. The incentive amount yet to be released for the current year is Rs 9.93 crore.
While the incentives have been paid to the farmers in KR Pet, Mandya and Srirangapatna taluks, where silk farming is less, Malavalli, Maddur taluks, where silk production is more, have not been paid incentives since November 2014.
Raitha Sangha vice-president Konasale Narasaraju said, “Centre should increase the import duty and also increase the incentive to farmers to Rs 100 per kg of cocoons.”
K B Basavanna, Deputy Director for Sericulture, said, “The incentives would be distributed to the farmers as soon the government releases it.”