EMPLOYMENT GENERATION AND INCOME THROUGH SERICULTURE IN KHARASIA BLOCK, CHHATTISGARH, INDIA.

Sericulture is an eco-friendly agro-based labor intensive and commercially attractive economic activity, falling under cottage and small-scale sector. Sericulture enterprise in its totality is a long chain industry from mulberry cultivation to fabric making. India stands second in silk production; next to China. Sericulture is the only cash crop, which provides frequent and attractive returns in the tropical states of the country through year. Sericulture Industry in India has classified the employment generation pattern of the industry into two major types: Direct Employment ? (a) Mulberry Cultivation; (b) Leaf Harvesting; (c) Silk Worm Rearing; Indirect Employment ? (a) Reeling; (b) Twisting; (c ) Weaving; (d) Printing & Dyeing; (e) Finishing; (f) Silk Waste Processing. The production of raw silk and silk fabrics are limited to only a few countries in the World of which China (1,03,620 MT; 81.95%) occupies the first place and India (19,690 MT; 15.44%), the second. India is the second largest producer of silk in the world next only to China. Karnataka is the leading sericulture state which contributes around 50 per cent of the total silk production in India. It is estimated that the indirect effect of sericulture to the farm income is about 25 per cent. Sericulture is practiced in about 52,360 villages all over the country and employment to about 7.56 million people, most of them being small and marginal farmers in rural areas, creating employment to at least for 12-13 people per hectare of mulberry. Raigarh district stand first in area under plantation of host plant for silkworm rearing. Raigarh district has total area of 2022.6 ha Daba tasar farming under with production of 15,93,7,216 lakh cocoons 63 6375 beneficiaries. In view of the importance of sericulture enterprise, the paper tries to enlighten and discuss the significance of sericulture and strategies to be taken for the employment generation in Indian sericulture industry. Present paper explores the possible employment opportunities derived from problem analysis in the study area. The study concludes with some suggestions to improve the feasibility of sericulture in long term.