Livelihoods through Tasar Sericulture: Issues before Small Producers
Recognizing the potential of tasar as an income generating and sustainable occupation for the tribals who live in and around forested areas, Pradan’s focus includes promoting scientific practices in ensuring disease free layings and providing backward and forward linkages for the activity
Background
I ndia is the second largest producer of tasar silk in the world after China. Tasar, a wild silk, however, accounts for less than 5% of the total silk production in India. Although China produces only temperate tasar, India produces both tropical (mainly) and temperate (in sub-Himalayan regions) tasar. Tropical tasar, grown only in India, is also known as Indian tasar; its silkworm is reared on host trees such as asan (Terminalia tomentosa), arjuna (Terminalia arjuna) and sal (Sorea sp.), available abundantly in the estimated 14.5 million hectares of tropical forests in the central Indian plateau.
In the past three decades, the demand for silk in the domestic market has increased at the rate of 5% per year on real terms. However, the production of tasar silk during the same period has gone down from 600 tonnes in 1970 to 302 tonnes in 2004–05. The overall demand for tasar yarn far exceeds its supply. Hence, India has to import nearly 900 to 1,200 tonnes (more than 75% of total demand) of tasar silk (all temperate tasar) from China and Korea to meet its demand. The total value of tasar fabric trade in India is estimated to be nearly Rs 450 crores (source: Central Silk Board—CSB). The domestic market accounts for nearly 60% of the total trade and the rest is export market.
States that produce tropical tasar in India are Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, parts of Bihar, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh, and the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. Over one lakh tribals and many more disadvantaged communities in these regions are engaged in rearing tasar cocoons. This region is characterized by high tribal concentrations and it has wide forest cover with abundant availability of tasar host plants such as asan and arjuna trees.