Resham Chautara, Dhading, April 1:The beaming face of Ram Nath Adhikari tells it all: how a Japanese expert, who introduced new method of sericulture, has brought good fortune to this once poor farmer of Baireni, Dhading.
Adhikari was mulling to give up his sericulture just four years back. But now he relinquished his idea and is really planning to expand his sericulture farming, thanks to Japanese expert Masaru Tsuzuku who introduce new and conducive method of sericulture for the Nepalese mid-hills.
The new-fangled way of sericulture, which Adhikari adopted four years back, has made him the model farmer of sericulture in Nepal so far.
How did he set the example of gaining more from the newly introduced method?
He said that the new method of silkworm rearing has ignited new enthusiasm in him to go for more. According to the new method, Tsuzuku told us to cut whole branches of mulberry off and put them into the long bomboo racks instead of traditional small rounded Nepalese nanglos (chaffing boards), Adhikari said. Formally, he followed the lengthy and time consuming Korean method of cutting mulberry leaves off.
“The new method had really infused new enthusiasm and willingness in the farmers towards sericulture,” Adhikari told the journalists, who were on the observation tour of his mulberry plantation site. He told that the production of one lot of cocoon takes a period of one month and during the whole year four to five rounds of silkworm rearing can be done.
Adhikari is earning about 26,000 rupees from his endeavours and is aiming to fetch up to 50,000 rupees in harvest of silkworm cocoons.
According to Tsuzuku, the mid-hill climate (from 500 meter to 2,000 meter) of Nepal is very conducive for sericulture.
He said that the market for his cocoons is easily available and one kilogram of cocoon is sold in about 150 to 160 rupees.
His growing business has helped him purchase more lands for sericulture. Adhikari who started his mulberry plantation in 15 ropanis of land now owns 30 ropanis where he plans to grow mulberry trees. His successful enterprise had attracted another Dhading farmer, Krishna Prasad Khatiwada three years ago. According to Khatiwada, he started sericulture without having any training. It’s so easy, he said.
Currently in the district of Dhading, fifty farmers grow mulberry trees in their lands while twenty are rearing silkworms for business purposes.
Before the new method of chukan-bassai (mulberry fetching technique where cutting branches is followed ) and rearing of hiragai-dana (Japanese silkworms) is done, Adhikari had to employ people from outside. But nowadays his family members work in the mulberry plantation, thereby reducing the extra expenditure.
However, the common and poor farmers may find it difficulty in starting sericulture because it begins yielding results only after one and half of years of mulberry planting.
Sericulture, though started some twenty years ago, was done in small scale and traditional and time-consuming Korean method. With the arrival of Tsuzuku in 1991 as Japanese Overseas Cooperation Volunteer, a new dimension has been added to the Nepalese sericulture scenario.
With successful implementation of new method in Nepal, Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) started a mini project for the development of sericulture in the country.
Tsuzuku, who is working as JICA technical expert and is responsible for the present popularity of sericulture in Nepal, said that the sericulture could play an important role in uplifting the socio-economic status of Nepalese farmers.
He said that the Nepalese climate is as good as that of Japan for sericulture and suggested that Nepal should put emphasis on sericulture because the silks produced here are of highest standard.
Moreover the cost of production of silk in Nepal is relatively low making it very profitable for export to the other countries, Tsuzuku said.