Phidim, February 10:

Farmers in the southern Panchthar district are attracted to professional silkworms farming.

Farmers said they are attracted after the test-farming — of silkworm started four years ago by Sirijunga Multipurpose Agriculture Industry (SMAI), Sarandanda-7 — brought a successful results.

“A silkworm of 45-day starts producing gel from its mouth that is called Koyo”, Kali Bahadur Angdambe, a local farmer, said adding that they need some 500 to 700 koyos for the production of one kg of silk.

“One kg of Koyo is sold at the price of Rs 190,” farmers said, adding that silkworm eggs are wrapped in papers.

“Some 90 households at Sarandanda, Rabi Hanggum and Kurumba VDCs are involved in the production of silkworm”, Lila Limbu, technical assistant of SMAI, said. “SMAI brings silkworm eggs from Silk Processing Centre, Itahari and provides the koyos to the centre,” Angdambe said. Framers said eight metres of cloth could be made from one kg of silk thread, which could be used for the production of cloth like daura and suruwal.

“The Koyos processed by Silk Processing Centre, Itahari are also exported to South Korea,” Purna Kumar Sherma, proprietor at the SMAI said. “As the the grass, which is the food of silkworm is available abundantly in the district, Koyos could be produced in the district easily,” he added.