Nalbari, Assam: Akhari Bodo has been rearing Eri silkworms for several years without much commercial viability, until the administration of her home district of Nalbari in Assam rolled out a unique initiative to enable rural women like her to benefit from multiple welfare schemes for sustainable livelihood.
Once rearing Eri worms in her kitchen, Akhari now has a proper shed for it and has been earning handsomely.
"I was hardly harvesting two-three crops per year as I didn't have a proper shed and feeder leaves were also not available. Now, I am able to rear five-six crops annually and earn Rs 8,000-10,000 per crop," Akhari, a resident of Nowra village in Barkhetri development block, said.
The rural women of the district are benefiting from a unique model that uses MGNREGA and other schemes for infrastructure creation along with livelihood generation.
District Commissioner Varnali Deka said this initiative lays special focus on generating sustainable livelihood models for rural women by bringing together the benefits of different government schemes.
"This is a multifaceted livelihood initiative wherein we have made special efforts for creating a self-sustaining value chain, leading to massive contribution of women to the economy. This initiative has ensured that the women can pursue commercial rearing parallel to undertaking their daily household chores," Deka said.
"Nalbari district has small land holding sizes and has the third highest population density in the state. There was a need for suitable livelihood options for women since the district has a thriving ecosystem of women's self-help groups under the Rural Livelihood Mission," the DC said.
This necessitated the exploration of non-land dependent sustainable livelihood options, and the administration decided to encourage the traditional Eri rearing culture of the district, she said.
For the production of feeder leaves, massive plantations of Era, Keseru and Tapioca were taken up on the banks of the 78 newly constructed Amrit Sarovars, which also lent credence to greening initiatives in the district. In most cases, the upkeep has been vested with the cluster level groups that include the beneficiaries.
Eri sheds have been provided through MGNREGA to 200-250 SHG women in each of the seven development blocks of the district.
These huts are ergonomically designed to provide a controlled and conducive environment for Eri silkworms, with sizes designed for optimised use of space vis-a-vis investments and return.
Within six months of its launch, the initiative has covered thousands of families in the district, providing better livelihood options at incremental efforts, Deka claimed.
Since the launch of the initiative, the district has achieved self-sufficiency in Eri seed production, the DC said.
Earlier, it had to be brought from Kamrup and Central Silk Board under Ministry of Sericulture, but now not only is the district meeting local supply but also supplying to Rangia, Bajali and textiles mills of Panikhaiti, Guwahati, she said.
The Sericulture Department, Nalbari, has already exported 4,000 kg of cocoon to mills in Coimbatore, Bengaluru and Malda. Today rearers, with assistance of the department, are stocking and retailing cocoons at Rs 900-950 per kg. By the end of this month, another 15 kg of cocoon will be exported, the officer said.
Under the district administration's initiative, one Eri spinning unit has been established in an amalgamated school building under Barkhetri development block where 40 machines have been installed.
One can spin 180 to 200 gm of yarn per day, while traditional methods yielded only 60-70 gm of yarn per day of coarser quality that is sold at a lower price.
Market linkages are also being provided to the rearers through expos such as 'Nalbeira Haat' in various local areas, while by partnering with e-commerce platforms such as 'My Store', Eri products are reaching a broader market, the DC added.