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Outreach:
Villages:
68
Blocks:
18
Districts:
5
(Uttarkashi, Bageshwar, Tehri, Chamoli and
Rudraprayag)
Beneficiaries:
700+
Net Annual returns:
Rs 27.6 lakhs
Average incomes:
Rs 5500/ annum
The oak (temperate) tasar silk program has
been AT India’s ‘flagship’ programme. It best
reflects our synergistic approach of forest
conservation through enterprise development.
Oak tasar silk production uses oak leaves as
food for the silkworms during rearing
stages. Leaf harvesting performs a pruning
function that promotes regeneration of
foliage. At the same time the abundant
availability of food plant resources for the
cultivation of temperate tasar in the state
present exciting economic prospects. The
project area contains roughly 1 lac ha, of
accessible resources, where cultivation on
each ha represents a (demonstrated)
potential return of approximately Rs.
60,000. Consequently, oak tasar cocoon and
silk production generates good income from
oak leaves, providing a tangible incentive
for
sustainable management of the oak forest
ecosystem
(click here for
more).
AT India commenced work on oak (temperate) tasar
in 1995, on an experimental basis, at Ukhimath, Rudraprayag district of the then
state of UP. In its initial years, it had to
face up to the challenge of sensitizing hill
communities on the potential of what were
perceived as alien processes of cocoon
rearing and silk weaving. In 2003, and 2004
AT India’s silk enterprise was the single
largest producer of oak cocoons in the
country with a record harvest of 30 lakh
and 40 lakh cocoons respectively.
In order to keep harvesting from oak forests
within sustainable limits and simultaneously
augment its silk production output, AT India in
2005 initiated production of other
non-mulberry silks- Eri and Muga. Eri also
known as Endi or Errandi is a multi-voltine
silk that has traditionally been produced
across the tribal belt of India; while muga
is a unique golden yellow variety of silk
which has thus far been confined to Assam.
Over the years, the program has evolved to
all stages of oak and eri silk
production—from cocoon rearing, yarn
processing, spinning and reeling up to
weaving and marketing of the end
products.
Click here for details on silk production
process
Programme Milestones
· Established
the first ever (in India) commercial
production of oak (temperate) tasar
sericulture in the Garhwal Himalayas.
· Imparted
expert training on cocoon rearing, spinning,
dyeing and weaving and thereby developing
the skills of roughly 2000 persons.
· Weavers
under the programme have been trained by
getting experienced master craftsmen from
other parts of the country. In the process
AT India has created first generation artisans
who demonstrate in-depth understanding of
complex weaving skills.
· Under
AT India’s multi-pronged strategy for development
of infrastructure, it has developed one of
its kind infrastructure for cocoon rearing,
preservation and grainage in the pre-cocoon
stage and spinning, weaving and quality
control in the post-cocoon stage.
· AT India
is currently rearing the temperate silk
worms on
Quercus serrata
(Manipuri banjh) a more nutritive and
productive species of oak planted under the
programme since 1999.
Q. serrata
plantations can be raised near homesteads
and thus saves cocoon rearers the drudgery
of having to go to distant forests. Moreover
its use can help conserve the older (more
valuable)? oak forests of
Q. semicarpifolia
and
Q. floriwinda.
· The
whole cycle from silk worm rearing, cocoon
production, silk yarn spinning & reeling and
weaving provides employment to more than 700
men and women in remote villages.
· DNPCL,
who have achieved sales of approximately Rs.
52 lakhs in the financial year 2006-’07 and
already produced and sold 9882 meters of
fabric valued at Rs. 30,73,221. ; how much
for 2007/8
· AT India
has successfully demonstrated the market
potential of oak tasar silk and wool blended
textiles through its design prototypes and
is currently catering to bulk market
demands. This can only be done through
fool-proof production line and assured
quality at all levels. At present the
products are being successfully marketed in
high-end Indian markets at exclusive retail
outlets (like Fab India and Cottage
Industries Emporium).
Silk Production Process
Pre-cocoon:
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Oak & Eri silk-worm
rearing:
Silk-worm eggs are
obtained from AT India and
reared up to cocoon
stage. Families earn
incomes by rearing silk
worms (after chawkie
rearing) and selling the
cocoons back to the
enterprise. |
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All
post cocoons activity
i.e., production of yarn and fabric is now
run on commercial lines and is therefore
included in DNPCL activities.
Spinning:
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The yarn is produced in the
villages mainly by women
beneficiaries. Cocoons are sold
by Business Service
Providers (BSPs) at subsidized rates
on a per kg basis. Yarn is spun
at valley level spinning units
or at home by those who
purchased own machines. The yarn
is then collected on a specific
date of the month. Quality
control in spinning is attained
by fixing different rates for
different grades of yarn spun. |
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Dyeing:
Dyeing operations are carried out by men in
Talla, a remote village (in Akashkamini
valley) from which the dyeing centers has
been operating since 2003. The dyers have
been trained in organic dyeing techniques at
the Natural Resource Centers in Sawantwari,
Tamil Nadu and Dastakar Andhra.Pradesh. The
dyes are derived from a number of natural
substances, such as:
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Reds-
Kaphal
leaves (Myrica
esculenta)
Greens & yellows-
Van Mara
(Eupitorium
sp.)
Pale yellow & grey- Dried
pomegranate skin
Browns -Kattha
(Acacia
catechu)
Blues– Indigo (Indigofera
tinctora)
Mustard yellow–
Kilmodh
bush (Berbaris
sp.)
Orange & rust- Arnatto (Bixa
orellana) |
Weaving:
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Weaving takes place in 6
decentralized units. Weavers
under the programme have been
trained by getting experienced
master craftsmen from other
parts of the country and hence
AT India’s master weavers are
equipped with an intricate
understanding of different
weaving styles. The master
weavers based at the centers,
help in preparation of net on
the loom for production against
any specific orders and are
especially trained to monitor
minute to minute weaving
activity. Quality control is
undertaken at several levels of
the production process. |
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Calendaring and finishing takes place in the
units in Dehradun from where it is
dispatched onward to buyers across the
country.
Finished product:
Temperate Oak Tasar/ Eri Silk blended
shawls, stoles, mufflers, saris and fabrics.
Devbhumi Oak Tasar silk is a finer variety
of tasar generated in India by the silk-worm
Anthrea proyeli J.
that feeds on oak. It has the following
features which render it distinct from the
more lustrous mulberry silk:
· Coarser
and more textured feel
· Higher
durability
· A
range of natural colors from ivory to golden
yellow
· A
range of interesting weave patterns/ motifs
Its high durability means it can be woven
either as a silk– wool
blend or as a pure silk fabric.
Steps toward Sustainable Management of Oak
Forests
The following mechanisms have been devised
by AT India with the help of Kumaon University,
Department of Botany:
1. Mapping
of oak forest areas for harvesting is done
with the help of concerned village
communities in Van Panchayat meetings.
2. During
site selection, old growth forests and
larger seed crops are avoided and cocoon
rearers are trained to harvest only 30% of
the fine leaves and twigs of a given tree.
3. As
part of the rearing process, it is mandatory
for each cocoon rearer group to protect a
predetermined number of saplings in their
area of operation, apart from developing
Quercus semicarpifolia
and
Q. serrata
nurseries on common lands.
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