Restoring mulberry cultivation and silkworm breeding

(Baonghean) - In the 70s of the last century, the development of mulberry trees helped Khanh Son commune (Nam Dan) to be known as the mulberry capital of the province with a total mulberry growing area of ​​up to 130 hectares; there were 2 silkworm co-operatives and nearly 700 households participating in the profession. However, due to the Nghe An Mulberry and Silk Company's loss-making business and the "degeneration" of mulberry trees, the output of products was deadlocked, by 1995, Khanh Son land was almost devoid of mulberry trees, farmers had to give up the "standing rice" profession... But from the beginning of 2010 until now, the price of silkworm cocoons in the province has continuously increased, causing many households to return to the traditional profession; the mulberry area has gradually been restored and developed well.

Mr. Ho De, head of Hamlet 9 - Khanh Son I - one of the households with a large mulberry growing area in the commune (more than 5 sao of mulberry), said: Right from the first batch of silkworms in 2011, the workers were very excited because the silkworm cocoons were both in season and had good prices; the average cocoon yield was 18 - 20 kg/egg cycle, the local cocoon price was 95,000 - 100,000 VND/kg. Silkworms are short-term animals, although the profit earned at one time is not as large as other animals, they provide regular income (8-9 crops/year). Especially when the silkworms are sick and do not produce high productivity or the silkworms are damaged and do not produce cocoons, it is only a waste of effort but not much capital. Mr. De calculated: The growth cycle of silkworms is within 25 days to harvest 1 batch of cocoons. Each sao of mulberry normally gives farmers an average of 6 batches of cocoons. Each year, they can raise and export 9 batches of cocoons. Thus, each sao of mulberry will produce about 130 kg of cocoons/year. If calculated at an average of 90,000 VND/kg of cocoons, each sao of mulberry will generate an income of about over 10 million VND/year (average net profit of 7 million VND/sao/year). In addition, people also harvest tons of by-products such as silkworm manure, which are very good for agricultural production.

People need support in seeds, techniques and product output to develop mulberry growing and silkworm raising.

As a long-standing traditional profession, Khanh Son people have accumulated valuable experience that few other mulberry growing regions have. According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Van, a mulberry grower (in hamlet 10): "Silkworm farming is not leisurely and not easy. From the time the silkworm hatches until it goes into the cocoon, it takes no more than 30 days. During the development cycle, the time when the silkworm is idle is the hardest, the breeder has to feed it 6-7 times a day; and when the silkworm is idle is the time to decide whether the silk is good or not, if left hungry, the silkworm will be small and will produce less silk. Because the life span of the silkworm is short, disease prevention must be carried out right from the stage of bringing the eggs home to raise. They often suffer from diseases such as bloat, calcification, transparent heads... The simple way to prevent disease is to keep clean, place them in a cool place; the mulberry leaves must be green, clean, dry, and not contaminated. In the past, we often bought silkworm eggs from Nghe An Silkworm Company, the quality was always guaranteed. Later, people could only rely on private traders, white silkworm eggs imported from China often affected the quality cocoons, causing low selling prices or slowing down the season. Normally, each egg cycle can be divided into 15 silkworm trays. Egg quality is not always guaranteed. Last time, my family raised 3 egg cycles but they hatched poorly so we had to dump them.

Taking us to Soi Bu beach to visit the newly planted mulberry area, Mr. Nguyen Duc Hue - Deputy of the Agricultural Department of Khanh Son commune, said: As a locality with a large area of ​​riverside alluvial land, a large amount of alluvial deposits every year (from 300 - 400 hectares), mulberry is truly a key crop, developing the silkworm breeding industry not only brings economic value but also solves employment for the labor force of all ages. Since 2010, with positive signals in the mulberry market in the whole province, and with the policy of restoring and developing the traditional mulberry growing and silkworm breeding profession of Nam Dan district, Khanh Son has actively participated in building the Project "Restoring and developing the traditional mulberry growing and silkworm breeding profession"; establishing the Nam Son Silkworm Cooperative attracting more than 100 households to participate. For new planting areas, in addition to the province's policy (if planting Sa Nhi Luan mulberry, support 100 VND/tree, 4.8 million VND/ha), the district also supports an additional 50 VND/tree and the commune will reduce 50% of service fees for 2 years on the mulberry growing area. According to the project, from 2010 to 2015, the commune will restore 100 hectares of mulberry, not planting on intensive land but only on riverside and sandy land; in 2010 and 2011 alone, people planted 42 hectares, mainly Sa Nhi Luan variety from China and Bau Trang from Thai Binh, with an annual output of nearly 15 tons of cocoons. Mulberry growers and silkworm farmers are very excited this year, because since the beginning of the year, the silkworms have spun beautiful cocoons and sold them at good prices. If there are no risks, the average income of a mulberry growing household raising silkworms reaches an average of 10 million VND/year, with some households earning over 14 million VND such as the family of Mr. Pham Viet Nam in hamlet 8, Mr. Ho Phuong in hamlet 9... Currently, the whole commune has 4 households specializing in supplying silkworm eggs, disease prevention drugs and purchasing silkworm cocoons in the region for sale to Do Luong, Thanh Chuong... so people are somewhat more assured about the output. However, the biggest difficulty now is that the supply of mulberry seeds and product output are all through private traders, so it is inevitable that there will be cases of price pressure; floating silkworm eggs are not inspected by competent authorities, so it is difficult to ensure the quality "...

The return of silkworm farming in Khanh Son is a welcome thing, not only meaning the restoration of a traditional craft village but also a suitable step for local economic development.

Ngoc Anh