Sericulture, the practice of breeding and raising silkworms to produce raw silk, has emerged as a feasible income generation option, especially in farming districts with water scarcity issues. Many agriculture colleges have added courses on sericulture, and moriculture (the cultivation of high-yielding mulberry leaves used to feed the silkworms), to help promote agri-business models from an early stage, especially among rural youth.

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“Sericulture is an excellent tool for rural reconstruction in Tamil Nadu. Farmers in Cauvery Delta district face critical challenges like water scarcity, climate change, procurement problems, rising input costs and dependence on credit facilities that have resulted in poor economic returns. Sericulture has become an important ancillary to the paddy-based cropping system,” R. Rajkumar, principal scientist, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Pudukottai, told The Hindu.

An investment of less than ₹15,000 was enough to cultivate mulberry and silkworm rearing in one acre, said Mr. Rajkumar. The perennial crop will support silkworm rearing up to 20 years. A six-month-old mulberry plant can produce leaves with required standards for initiating the silkworm rearing.

Due to its economic potential, several agriculture colleges have started offering certificate courses in sericulture.

“We offer a short experiential course to approximately 40 students in commercial cocoon production during the eighth semester as part of our B.Sc. Agriculture degree. Students raise a mulberry garden and then learn silkworm rearing with eggs bought from certified chawki centres. They are excited to see the practical side of the lessons they have been learning from textbooks,” said K. Haripriya, assistant professor, Department of Agricultural Entomology, Dhanalakshmi Srinivasan Agriculture College, Perambalur.

Sericulture could help students start earning, and generating employment for others even as they were in college, said Ms. Haripriya. “Commercial chawki rearing centres can be very profitable. Many people are running small industries with the help of silk reeling machinery,” she said.

At the Palar Agricultural College, Kothamarikuppam, Vellore District, sericulture has been added as a subject to show students how to develop silk production as a business. “We have a mini unit where cocoon rearing and silk extraction is taught in a practical module,” said principal N.Tamilselvan.

Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) offers degree and diploma programmes in sericulture.

“After graduation, rural youth face unemployment due to varied socio-economic reasons. An entrepreneurship-driven course like sericulture in Arts and Science colleges provides students with scientific knowledge and practical skills. It also creates employment opportunities in activities such as mulberry cultivation, silkworm rearing, cocoon harvesting, silk reeling, and weaving,” said Mr. Rajkumar.