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July 29, 2021The Financial Benefits of Sericulture
In commercial production, an acre of Sericulture Industry Value Chain offers a minimum of six job opportunities: one for mulberry cultivation, two in Silkworm rearing, one in post cocoon technology, one in making silk fabric and one in marketing of the silk fabric.
At an average of USD: 81 per farmer per month, each worker in Sericulture industry will earn USD: 97 from one acre of cultivated land by selling silk yarns. Going up the value chain; each kilogram of silk yarn produces 9.3 meters of pure silk cloth (grey fabric) whose price ranges from USD:10 to about USD:20 per meter. 180 kilograms of yarn can produce 1,674 meters which at a rate of USD: 10/meter results into USD: 16,740. A farmer when provided with a handloom for weaving cloth can thus earn USD: 16,740 an equivalent of from one acre by selling silk cloth but can even earn more if gets better price for the cloth especially if there is a mixture of mulberry yarn with yarn/threads from wild silk.
To conclude the economic perspective, an adequately trained and supported farmer can approximately earn UGX: 8 million from selling mulberry leaves and cuttings, UGX: 14 million from selling cocoons, UGX: 34 million selling yarn and UGX: 63 million from selling fabric all from having one acre of mulberry, a rearing house, a pedal/hand-reeling machine and a hand-loom. The benefit can be higher if tailored clothes are sold.
Minimum Land Required
One needs a minimum of only one acre of land irrespective of its geographical location. To be more productive and earn bigger, more acres would be of higher value. Offering more acreage for this cause would be more lucrative. In the case of a bigger acreage, public land like one belonging to any religious group of people, a clan, kingdom or family would play the role better. In so doing, the profits would be equally shared by both parties (land owner/s and the project implementer).
What exactly is silk
Silk is a natural fiber known for its luster, shine, strength, durability, and it has a long trading history across the world. Silk is the epitome of luxury due to its high cost to produce, soft feel, and elegant appearance, thus it is a popular textile in high-end and couture fashion design. The strongest natural protein fibre composed mainly of Fibroin, silk is a shimmering textile known for its satin texture and famous for being a luxurious fabric. The most common silk is produced from silkworms: small creatures which mostly live on mulberry leaves.
Sericulture, a term for Silk Production
White raw silk from white cocoons
Sericulture is simply silk farming. It basically involves breeding, rearing and treating of silkworms while feeding them with mulberry leaves until they build a house called cocoons from which raw silk is made and the end result is silk textiles. Although there are several commercial species of silkworms, Bombyx mori (the caterpillar of the domestic silk moth) is the most widely used and intensively studied silkworm. Silk was believed to have first been produced in China as early as the Neolithic Period. Sericulture has become an important cottage industry in the world. Today, China and India are the two main producers, with more than 60% of the world’s annual production.
Main products made out of silk are; velvets, shirts, ties, blouses, formal dresses, high fashion clothes, lingerie, pajamas, ropes, dress suits, sun dresses and kimonos. It is also used in furniture applications and wall hangings. In past, silk was used in parachutes, bicycle tires, comforter filling and gunpowder bags.
The Background of Silk in Uganda
The farming activity of raising silkworms in order to obtain raw silk has been practiced in Uganda since the 1960s as a research project. Its commercial production started in 1992 but the volumes were low and could not encourage investment in processing technologies. It was therefore abandoned in the 1990s due to lack of market and the technological complexity of it. Although there was a market in Japan for cocoons, the cost of gathering cocoons from scattered farmers was very expensive. The production was also done on a small scale which could not make up export capacity.
Silk in Uganda Today
The global rise in demand for silk and the subsequent increase of the price prompted the government of Uganda, through the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations (MoSTI) to embark on new ways of tapping into the industry.
This program in is currently running in Uganda under the project name Commercialization of Sericulture Technologies and Innovations in Uganda is a government of Uganda project which aims at promoting the development of Silk Industry, to create gainful employment and improved levels of income in Sericulture through: utilization of Next Generation Sericulture Technologies, Innovations and Management Practices (STIMPs). This project also aims at increasing domestic production of silk and it’s by products, thus raising rural incomes for small-holder producers and ensuring the supply of affordable silk products to Ugandan consumers and export markets. The project is implemented by Tropical Institute of Development Innovations (TRIDI) and funded by the Government of Uganda (GoU) through The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations (MoSTI) and supported by The Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST).
Sericulture Participating Districts
To enhance commercial production, TRIDI has established about 28 National Sericulture Resources Research Centres country wide in over 20 districts such Sheema, Mbarara, Kiruhura, Bulambuli, Kamuli, Mubende, Gomba, Mukono, Iganga, Luweero, Kayunga, Nakaseke, Nakasongola, Kween, Bukedea, Zombo, Nwoya, Buikwe, Pallisa, Busia (on a total of 627.92 acres). Silkworm rearing has so far been carried out in 6 districts i.e. Sheema, Mukono, Kamuli, Pallisa, Iganga and Kayunga, Zombo, Bulambuli. The newly established demonstration farms are in; Lira, Adwila, Amolatar and Otuke districts. Sericulture is currently employing about 1,000 people with 99% of the total population being Ugandans most especially, local communities.
According to Clet Wandui Masiga, (PhD), the Principal Investigator of Commercialization of Sericulture Technologies and Innovations in Uganda, Uganda needs to have adverse land for mulberry cultivation for rearing of more silk worms which would translate into more cocoon formations to effectively feed the currently installed new technology post cocoon machines in Rubaare, Sheema. This then calls for more willingness among the Ugandan communities to utilize their lands for mulberry cultivation to take part in this lucrative business opportunity.
Clet Wandui Masiga, (PhD), the Principal Investigator of Commercialization of Sericulture Technologies and Innovations in Uganda, Uganda and the Chief Executive Director of Tropical Institute of Development Innovations (TRIDI) addressing NARO officials and other stakeholders
This industry is full of financial possibilities for every individual who practices it. This is because there is earning in every step of the production; one can reap from mulberry leaves, cocoons, raw silk and the silk garments depending on their interest.
On 28th May 2021, next generation machines for post cocoon production were commissioned in Rubaare, Sheema Municipality as a further step in the Sericulture project, call it silk farming by the former Minister, Hon. Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye and witnessed by the presentation of the outgoing Permanent Secretary of the same Ministry, Mr. Omara Obong Oleke David by the Director, Techno- preneurship, Mr. Ajer Basil. These machines are currently under installation by a group of Chinese silk engineering specialists and the process is expected to take month duration.
