Model house for silk worm rearing

BANGALORE: Aiming at decreasing the import of silk from China and promoting sericulture in the country, College of Sericulture at Chintamani in Kolar district has come up with a unique technology - a model silk worm rearing house.Demonstrating the technology at the Rashtriya Krishimela 2011, Dr R N Bhaskar, HoD of Sericulture in the college, said, “The model house extends to a length of 60 feet and width of 22 feet. In between, it has about five windows and 10 ventilators and there are some air outlets set up at a distance of 10 feet. There are platform stands with sheet rearing system which can be made up of either wood or bamboo inside the house.”“The mulberry leaves used in these model houses are of very high quality. In about 8 to 10 kg of mulberry leaves, the worm can produce about 70 kg of cocoon from which 6 to 8 kg of silk can be extracted,” he added. Speaking to The New Indian Express about the advantages of the model house, he said, “Since silk rearing cannot be done in unhygienic conditions, the model house is the best possible option for silk rearing under hygienic conditions, especially in India.” The silk produced through the model silk work  rearing house, on par with that of China, will be priced reasonably, Dr Bhaskar explained.