Potentiality of eri culture for poverty alleviation in dry ... - Seri.ap.gov.in

IntroductionIndia enjoys a unique distinction of being the only country in the world producing all varieties ofnatural silk viz., Mulberry, Tasar, oak Tasar, eri and Muga. Among the commercially exploitedsilkworms, eri silkworm is completely domesticated multivoltine species under non-mulberry(Vanya Silk) sector that is reared throughout the year. The advent of eri culture in the country islost into antiquity but the fact remains that it has close link with culture and tradition of people ofNorth-east India with the rural folk does this culture primarily to meet the domestic demand ofwarm clothing besides treating the pupae as a delicacy. Apart from the North-east region, ericulture is also practiced in the states of West Bengal, Bihar and Orissa (Krishna Rao, 2003). Beingtermed as a ‘poor man’s silk’, eri culture has all the necessary wherewithals of a small scale cottageenterprise. In a world where silk is almost and always associated with luxury, softness andglamour, eri silk although may not fit into the same group owing to its coarseness and mundaneproperties, it can be blended with other yarns imparting a special texture and feel to the fabric.Considering its new potential as a substantial supplementary income generating occupation and lowrisk poverty alleviating vocation in rural and semi rural areas, eri culture has spread to differentparts of India including the state of Andhra Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh is one of the fast emergingstates in the southern zone in the country producing both mulberry and non-mulberry silks such asTasar and Eri on commercial scale and Muga on experimental basis (Jayaprakash, 2005). Duringthe year 2004-05, the state has produced 5,084 tons of mulberry silk, 16 tons of tasar silk and 10tons of eri silk.Eri silkworm, Samia cynthia ricini, Boisd is polyphagous in nature and feed primarily on Castor((Ricinus communis) and tapioca (Manihot utilissima) that form the secondary food plant.Castor (Ricinus communis), the primary food plant of eri silkworm (Samia Cynthia ricini) iscultivated abundantly in the state of Andhra Pradesh that ranks second to Gujarat with 3.5 lakhhectares. An estimated 85% of castor is cultivated in the drought prone districts of Mahabubnagarand Nalgonda for oil seed and the leaf has no utility as it cannot be used as fodder. As cultivation ofcastor as oil seed crop become more popular, the eri silkworm culture utilizing the castor leaf to alarger extent remained unorganized. Castor plants grow as shrubs or small trees in tropical andtemperate regions finds a place of importance in the cropping systems of dry land farming in semiaridzones.Tapioca (Manihot utilissima, Pohl) popularly known as ‘Cassava’ is one of the secondary foodplant of eri silkworm. The crop has gained importance as a cheap source of carbohydrates, mainlyfor human consumption through its tubers. Tapioca, locally known as ‘karra pendalam’ or ‘sagodumpa’ is widely being cultivated for commercial purpose in the coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh.Prior to its popularization as industrial crop in Andhra Pradesh, it was cultivated as food crop by

the tribes of Rampachodavaram division of East Godavari District. Presently, around an area of25,000 hectares is under tapioca cultivation mostly as inter crop that constitutes around 9%of thetotal area of tapioca in India. In East Godavari District, it is cultivated in dry and sandy patches asmono crop. During the year 2005-06, a total of 250081 dfls were reared covering 1222 farmers andharvested a quantity of 49527 kg of cocoons and realized an amount of Rs.25.86 lakhs.Utilization of about 30 to 40% of leaves from Castor and Tapioca plantations for eri culture withouteffecting the seed/tuber production respectively fetch the farmers substantial additional incomeapart from the regular earnings to the poor dry land cultivators besides providing gainfulemployment to the women. It is established that about 25% of leaf plucking in Tapioca would notaffect the normal tuber yield (Bhat et al., 1991). In the present study, the cocoon yield, potential,income to the farmers and comparative economics of eri culture with the major dry land crops andits potentiality for poverty alleviation are discussed.Materials and MethodsThe Eri culture areas in the state are broadly classified in to two zones based on the food plantsutilized for eri silkworm rearing. The zone one, where castor is abundantly used for ericulturecomprised of Mahbubnagar, Nalgonda, Medak and Rangareddi districts. The zone two consists ofEast Godavari district, where Tapioca is cultivated abundantly.Data CollectionDistrict wise data on 484 sample farmers (East Godavari-194, Mehbubnagar-163, Nalgonda-47 andRangareddi-21 farmers) for cocoon yield and income generation of eri crops were collected. Thedata pertaining to income with regard to eri culture and also major competitive dry land crops suchas maize, red gram, green gram and jowar were collected. The collected data were pertained to theyear 2005-06.Data AnalysisThe data collected were tabulated and analyzed through simple tabular analysis to estimate cocoonproductivity and profitability. The yield and economic potentiality of eri culture through elitefarmers (51 numbers) possessing all the requisite facilities and technical know how of eri culturewas also analyzed separately. For the same coefficient of variation was computed to assess theextent of variability. Usual Student-t test was used for comparison of means and to check thesignificance of difference in means for productivity. The comparative economics of eri culture vis avis dry land crops was also worked out.

ResultsZone-I (Castor area):In Andhra Pradesh, Castor, the primary food for eri silkworms is mainly cultivated in the droughtprone districts of Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda, Rangareddy and Medak districts under rain fedconditions (dry land areas in semi arid zones). It is well established that about 30 – 40% of leafutilization from castor for eri culture may not effect the castor seed production. The productivityand income from eri in the above districts is analyzed as here under.Mahbubnagar: The yield and income from eri culture in the district is analyzed with 163 farmers.The data suggest that the cocoon productivity was in the range of 20.0 kg to 88.7 kg per 100 dflswith an average yield of 33.8 kg. Correspondingly, the amount realized varied from Rs.1002/- toRs.4435/- with an average income of Rs.1690/- per 100 dfls.Nalgonda: The cocoon yield and income generated from eri culture is analyzed with 47 farmers.The data suggest that the cocoon productivity varied from a minimum of 20.1 kg to a maximum of54.2 kg with an average of 31.9 kg per 100 dfls. Majority of the farmers (33) reared about 100 dflsper crop. The minimum income from the rearing of 100 dfls was Rs.1007/- to a maximum ofRs.2710/- with an average income of Rs.1597/-.Medak: The cocoon yield and income generated from eri culture is analyzed with 59 farmers fromthe district. Most of the farmers (34) have reared about 100 dfls at a time. The data present that onan average, 33.3 kg of cocoon yield per 100 dfls is obtained ranging from 20.9 kg to 55.1 kg. Theminimum income from the rearing of 100 dfls was Rs.1047/- to a maximum of Rs.2754/- with anaverage of Rs.1665/-.Rangareddi: Data on the cocoon yield and income levels is analyzed with 21 farmers in thedistrict. The cocoon yield in the district ranged from a minimum of 20.1 kg to a maximum of 44.6kg per 100 dfls reared with an average yield of 27.8 kg. The income generated from the rearing of100 dfls was in the range of Rs.1006/- to Rs.2230/- with an average of Rs.1390/-. The data ispresented in Table-1.The mean productivity between the four districts was compared and the results (Table-2) revealedthat the cocoon productivity level in the Rangareddy District is significantly lower (P

plantation without effecting tuber yield and eri farmers use this excess of leaf for eri culture andearn additional income. The analysis of eri rearing performance of 194 farmers in the districtsuggests that average productivity is 34.8 kg per 100 dfls with a maximum of 77.0 kg andminimum of 20.3 kg. The income from the rearing of 100 dfls varied from a minimum of Rs.1017/-to a maximum of Rs.3850/- with an average of Rs.1750/- for 100 dfls. The data is presented inTable-1.Improvement of yield and income of progressive farmers:Further, the eri crop performance and income obtained by the progressive farmers irrespective offood plants (51 farmers), who are having all the facilities, technical competence for conducting theeri rearing was analyzed district wise (Table 3). The data depicts that the average cocoonproductivity per 100 dfls was 55.6 kg. On an average the income obtained from rearing of 100 dflswas Rs.2780/-.Comparative yield performance - Castor vs Tapioca:The comparison of the cocoon productivity of the eri farmers between the two zones under study(Tapioca – 34.77 kg) and (Castor – 32.94 kg) suggest that there is no significant difference(P>0.05) in the cocoon productivity between the two food plants, although there is an increase yieldof about 2 kg from the rearing of 100 dfls on tapioca (Table 4).Comparison with other dry cropsThe yield and income (per hectare per year) from eri culture with competitive dry land crops inZone-1 and Zone-2 of the state is presented in Figure-1 and Table 5. A perusal of the data revealsthat in Zone-I, the net returns from dry land crops varied from a minimum of Rs.1500/- (Jowar) to ahigh of Rs.5500/- (Red gram), where as an income of Rs.3500/- is obtained from castor alone. Anadditional net income of Rs.4000/- is obtained from eri culture. Thus a total net income ofRs.7500/- can be realized from castor coupled with eri culture. In Zone-II, a maximum net incomeof Rs.6200/- can be realized from maize, whereas tapioca cultivation fetches a net income ofRs.6875/-. Eri culture on tapioca provides an additional income of Rs.4000/-. Thus, the total netreturns of Rs.10875/- can be earned from tapioca with eri culture.DiscussionEri culture is proved to be an ideal subsidiary occupation in India providing gainful supplementaryincome to a large number of rural and tribal populations as the occupation depends on lessexpensive dry land plantations like Castor and Tapioca utilizing only the excess leaf to an extent of30 – 40% without effecting the seed /tuber production. Although prospects of eri culture in northeastern India are proved beyond doubt as it goes with local tradition and way of life, of late itsspread to southern parts of India is gaining momentum with the increased cultivation dry land and

up land crops like Castor and Tapioca and Andhra Pradesh is one among the states where dueemphasis is being given for its promotion.The geo-eco climatic conditions of Andhra Pradesh favour commercial production of all thevarieties of natural silks of which eri culture is being given due thrust to supplement the income ofCastor and Tapioca growers through better utilization of leaves without effecting the seed/tuberproduction. In addition, adoption of eri culture provides additional employment for tribals andother poor rural populace and contributes to the increased productivity of eri silk in the country(Jayaprakash et. al.., 2005).Eri silkworm, Philosamia ricini being polyphagous in nature feed primarily on Castor (Ricinuscommunis) which is one of the major dry land crops in Zone-I comprising the districts ofMahabubnagar, Nalgonda, Medak and Rangareddy districts in Telangana region and Tapioca(Manihot utilissima) that is grown up land areas under rain fed conditions in Zone-II covering EastGodavari District in coastal Andhra Pradesh. Apart from North-East, regular cultivation of Castoris done only for the production of oil seeds while Tapioca for tuber production. It is wellestablished that 30 – 40% of foliage from castor/Tapioca plantation can be used for eri silkwormrearing without effecting the seed/tuber production (Jayaprakash et al., 2003). It is in this context,eri culture is providing substantial additional income apart from the regular earnings to the poor dryland cultivators besides providing gainful employment to the women in both the Zones under study.The potentiality of eri culture as a viable subsidiary avocation has been highlighted by manyworkers (Jayaprakash et al., 2003; Sartchandra, 2003; Prakash et al., 2003 and Rama Rao et al.,2005) both with Castor and Tapioca. In the present investigation, analysis of the productivitylevels and income obtained through eri culture utilizing the foliage from Castor and Tapiocaplantations revealed that there is no significant differences in the yield levels and incomesuggesting that both food plants provide adequate additional income from eri culture. Successfulattempts have been made to improve further the earnings of castor growers without affecting thecastor seed yield by adopting the eri culture especially through active participation of women folkin the rural areas where poverty and unemployment is on higher side.The production cost of Castor was observed less among the big farming category followed by smalland marginal farmers. The eri cocoon yield utilizing the foliage of Castor among the farmers of the4 districts studied except for Rangareddy suggested no significant differences between them as thefarmers are well experienced with the practices for eri culture. However, the low productivityrecorded by the farmers from Rangareddy district may be attributed to the fact that eri culture isrelatively new and the farmers are not having adequate experience and technical know-howcompared to others.

Eri culture is also being practiced with the foliage of Tapioca, the tuber crop. It is proved that theleaf plucking during 3 to 4, 4 to 5 and 8 to 9 months does not significantly affect the yield of Castorseed/Tapioca tuber (Jayaprakash et al., 2003). It is also established that about 5000 to 6000 kg ofleaf is available for harvest per hectare of Tapioca plantation which is quite substantial forconducting eri rearing without affecting the yield of tuber. The study confirmed the highercombined income (Rs.10,875/-) from eri culture with Tapioca.By cultivating the Castor alone as main crop the farmer can earn an average income of aboutRs.3500/ha/year. The rearing of eri from the same plantation will fetch another Rs.4000/- asadditional income to the farmer. Hence, the combined income of Castor and eri culture amount toRs.7500/ ha/year. It is observed that the income obtained from rearing eri silkworms and Castorwithout affecting the seed yield is more than the harvest of Castor seed alone. Similarly, thecultivation of Tapioca only for the tuber production will provide an income of Rs.6875/ha/year,whereas the rearing of eri silkworms provides additional income of Rs.4000/- resulting in acombined revenue of Rs.10875/-.Further the analysis of data on the comparative yield performance of eri cocoons obtained utilizingthe leaf from Castor and Tapioca plantations revealed that the rearing performance of Tapiocaleaves is on par with castor. In fact, Tapioca exhibited better performance yielding about 2 kg morecocoons than the Castor for 100 dfls reared, though it is not significant statistically. From this it isestablished that Tapioca can also effectively be utilized for better productivity though it isconsidered as a secondary food plant for eri silkworms.The potentiality of eri culture as an additional income resource is well established with progressivefarmers. The cocoon productivity and income were comparatively higher than the overall farmers.There was an increase of 21.6 kg of cocoons for every 100 dfls with an enhanced income ofRs.1162/-. In percentage terms increase in cocoon productivity and income registered 64% and71.8% respectively. This is attributed to adequate infrastructure facilities, technical know how andproper management skills of the progressive farmers. It is reported (Jayaprakash et al., 2005) thatnet income increases from three to five times over cost of production of castor seed and eri cocoonwhich is attributed to involvement of less inputs and low risks in dry land castor cultivationsuggesting the higher potential for eri culture in the state. It is also established by Jayaprakash etal., (2005) that the women participation in eri silkworm rearing, particularly in leaf harvesting,feeding and cleaning activities was more in comparison to men who have major role in pre rearingand marketing of cocoons.The major cash crops posing competition for eri culture are red gram, green gram and maize inZone-I and maize in Zone-2. Hence, the economics of eri culture, red gram, green gram and maize

were worked out and compared. It is established from the results that among the four cropscompared, the combined income generated from Castor and eri culture, Tapioca and eri culture wasfound to be more than the other crops in both the zones.Therefore, it is evident from the study that the eri culture enterprise provides an ample opportunityfor sustainable dry land based farming system for higher income generation. The most importantfact is that eri culture goes well with dry land farmers, especially with tribals. On an average, threecrops were taken as against the single harvest in other dry land crops. The three crops in a yearwould be sufficient to maintain a family through additional income at a substantial level. It has awider scope for augmenting the family income and employment opportunities.It was noticed that by practicing eri culture there was a substantial increase in annual income of thefarmers which brought the total change in their assets and improvement in their livelihood. Hence,it played an important role in poverty alleviation and elimination of hunger to a considerable extentin dry land farmers.Considering the advantages of eri culture in the state, the Government has initiated various steps topopularize eri culture in the state and also to stabilize this cottage industry through variousmeasures such as production of commercial eri seed within the organized Seed Farms, impartingnecessary training in eri culture technologies, conducting field visits and exposure visits besidesestablishing Eri spinning mill under corporate sector with a consumption capacity around 70tonnes/annum to create marketing facilities to the farmers etc.ReferencesBhat , G.G.; T. Umesh and Naik Ramakrishna (1991) Tapioca is an ideal root upon which to rearthe eri silkworm. Indian Silk, April, 1991: 19 – 20.Jaya Prakash, P.; B.V.S. Rao, K. Venkateshwar Rao, J.V. Krishna Rao and B.R.R.P. Sinha(2003). Reintroduction of eri culture in Andhra Pradesh: Hopes galore. Indian Silk, April,2003. 19 – 20.Jayaprakash, P.; A. Sasikala and N. Suryanarayana (2005) Ericulture- A tool for rural womendevelopment in Andhra Pradesh, India. Conference Papers (3.18) In: The 20 th Congress of theInternational Sericultural Commission, Bangalore. 106 – 109.Krishna Rao, J.V. (2003) Large scale development of Ericulture in India. Indian Silk, 42(1):27 –29.Prakash K.S., R.N. Prasad; C.V.N. Ravikishore; M. Rama Rao; J.V. Krishna Rao and R.P.Khanna (2003) Eri culture – An additional source of income for tapioca farmers. Indian Silk,41(12): 29 - 30Rama Rao, M.; R.N. Prasad and N. Suryanarayana (2005) Ericulture – An additional income fortapioca (Cassava) growers and a good nourishment to the mal-nutritioned tribal populace.Conference Papers (3.16) In: The 20 th Congress of the International Sericultural Commission,Bangalore 94-98.Saratchandra, B. (2003). A thought for development of eri culture in India. Indian Silk April,2003. 25 – 28.

DistrictTable 1. Production profile of eri culture in Andhra Pradesh (2005 -2006)No. offarmersNo. of dflsrearedTotal Yeild(kg)Productivity/100 dflsAverageIncome/100 dfls(Rs.)Max. Min. Avg. Max. Min. Avg. Max. Min. Avg. Max. Min. Avg.Zone-IMaha- 163 300 5 103 96.2 1.6 34.5 88.7 20.0 33.8 4435 1002 1690bubnagarNalgo- 47 150 50 91 65.0 11.7 28.9 54.2 20.1 31.9 2710 1007 1597ndaMedak 59 400 25 136 128.7 7.46 44.4 55.1 20.9 33.3 2754 1047 1665Ranga- 21 200 50 105 49.8 15.1 28.8 44.6 20.1 27.8 2230 1006 1390ReddyZone-IIEastGodavari194 1200 50 211 445.5 12.0 70.2 77.0 20.3 34.8 3850 1017 1750DistrictEast GodavariMahabubnagarTable 2. District wise comparative yield performanceCocoonyield/100 dfls(Kg)Comparisonwith otherDistrictsCocoonyield/100 dfls (Kg)34.8 Mehabubnagar 33.8 NSNalgonda 31.9 NSMedak 33.3 NSRangareddy 27.8 *33.8 Nalgonda 31.9 NSMedak 33.3 NSRangareddy 27. 8 *31.9 Medak 33.3 NSNalgondaRangareddy 27.8 *Medak 33.3 Rangareddy 27.8 *** Significant at P

Table 3. Cocoon yield and income details of progressive farmersDistrictNo. offarmersProductivity/100 dfls (kg)Income/100dfls(Rs.)Average S.D. CV% AverageEast Godavari 24 55.4 7.58 13.7 2770Mehaboobnagar 16 59.0 10.0 17.1 2950Medak 5 51.0 3.0 5.0 2550Nalgonda 6 50.3 2.4 4.7 2515Total 51 55.6 8.23 14.8 2780Table 4. Comparative yield performance between two food plants(Tapioca vs Castor)Source of variation df MSS F ratioBetween groups 1 388.14 3.485 (NS)With in groups 482 111.54 (P

1200010000Income (Rs)80006000400020000RedgramMaizeJowarCastorTapiocaEri & CastorEri & Tap !"""#$"%