(Baonghean.vn) - The mulberry growing and silkworm raising profession in Dien Kim commune (Dien Chau district) developed most strongly from 1982 to 1990. In 1992, when there was no longer a "midwife" due to the bankruptcy of Nghe An Silk Company, the price of cocoons on the market dropped, the products had no output, causing many households to lose interest in the "standing-up" profession. But from the beginning of 2012 until now, the price of silkworm cocoons in the province has increased and has a stable output, creating motivation for many households to return to the traditional profession; the mulberry growing area has gradually been restored and expanded..
In particular, from the project to develop the mulberry and silk weaving value chain jointly implemented by the Vietnam Handicraft Exporters Association (VietCRAFT) and the Rural Industries Research and Development Institute (VIRI), focusing on supporting mulberry growers and silkworm breeders, the Dien Kim mulberry and silk weaving craft village has been revived...
As one of the three communes in Nghe An province that benefited from the project, Dien Kim was supported with a 16-strand mini silk reeling machine, 1 kg of VH13 mulberry seeds and participated in training courses on mulberry tree care and silkworm raising techniques. It is known that this project was implemented for three years, from 2013 to 2016.
According to Mr. Nguyen Van Truong - Chairman of the Fatherland Front Committee of Dien Kim commune: Since 2010, with positive signals in the mulberry market in the whole province, along with the policy of restoring and developing the traditional mulberry growing and silkworm breeding profession of Dien Chau district, the 20th Party Congress of the commune issued a Resolution to restore and develop the traditional mulberry growing and silkworm breeding profession.
After the land conversion step according to Directive 08, the commune has implemented the planning of concentrated mulberry growing areas; at the same time, converted low-yield color land to mulberry growing and expanded the area from 40 hectares in 2010 to 65 hectares in 2014...
Currently, cocoon and silk products are sold as soon as they are produced. The key issue to increase the economic efficiency of Dien Kim silkworm industry is that people must boldly invest in the new VH13 mulberry variety to replace the local mulberry variety, and apply techniques and methods to increase farming capacity and cocoon quality.
Below are some pictures of the silkworm farming village in Dien Kim commune:
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| Ms. Nguyen Thi Tinh's family (in Hoang Chau hamlet) has invested in planting 4 sao of VH 13 mulberry variety, replacing the local mulberry variety (Ha Bac mulberry). This new mulberry variety yields 450 - 500 kg of leaves/sao, 2 - 3 times higher than the local mulberry variety... According to Ms. Tinh: Mulberry trees can be grown on many types of soil, and the leaves can be harvested after only 4 - 6 months; one mulberry planting can be harvested for 10 - 15 years. On the other hand, mulberry trees can be intercropped with short-term crops such as peanuts, soybeans, and corn, which is both convenient for care and investment and soil improvement. |
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| When feeding silkworms, depending on the age of the silkworm, the mulberry leaves are cut into different sizes. Every year, after harvesting the last batch of silkworms, the mulberry trees are cut close to the base, fertilized with nitrogen fertilizers and manure so that after Tet they begin to sprout and produce leaves. The silkworm season starts from February to November of the lunar calendar; the life cycle of the silkworm is short, only about 20 - 21 days, so each season usually raises 9 - 11 batches of silkworms, depending on the weather each year. |
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| Silkworm raising is the most important stage, determining the productivity and quality of cocoons and silk products... The life cycle of a silkworm from the time the egg hatches until it matures into a cocoon goes through 4 sleeps. The silkworm eats continuously for 3 days and nights, then sleeps for 1 day and night. In the last sleep, the silkworm eats continuously (silkworms eat leftovers) for about 6-7 days before forming a cocoon. According to the experience of silkworm breeders, after the sleeping periods have ended so that the silkworm can spin silk and form a cocoon evenly, it is necessary to ensure that the silkworm eats every 2 hours. |
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| Ms. Nguyen Thi Mo - in Xuan Chau hamlet, is sorting good and bad silkworms; her family's silkworm trays are in the dormant stage, 3 to 8 days old. |
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| When the silkworms are making cocoons, the breeder must dry them in the sun to make them dry and fragrant, so that when they are reeled, the cocoons do not dissolve and the silk thread becomes golden, which is convenient for the reeler. |
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| Ms. Hoang Thi Xuan's family (in Xuan Chau hamlet) has been growing mulberry and raising silkworms for 4 generations. Raising an average egg cycle yields 12kg of cocoons. With the current selling price of 65,000 - 70,000 VND/kg of cocoons, on average, Ms. Xuan's family earns 2.5 - 3 million VND per month. |
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| Currently, the whole commune has 10 investments in silk reeling machines, each household has at least one machine, the most households have 4 machines; each machine has a silk spinning capacity of 20kg/day. In 2014 alone, the total cocoon output of Dien Kim commune reached 30 tons, producing 3.6 tons of silk. |
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| Mr. Nguyen Van Hanh in Xuan Chau hamlet - a long-time silkworm breeder and silk reeler said: "In the 2014 crop, my family raised 10 batches of silkworms to reel silk; after deducting expenses, the net profit was 6 - 7 million VND/month. Compared to pig farming, silkworm farming is many times more profitable." |
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| Currently, the entire Dien Kim commune has more than 100 households growing mulberry and raising silkworms, with a mulberry area of 65 hectares; mainly concentrated in 4 hamlets: Thai Thinh, Tien Tien, Xuan Chau and Dai Thanh. The people here cannot remember clearly when this "standing-up" profession began. Having gone through ups and downs, at times it seemed like it would disappear, but they still persevere in preserving the traditional profession left by their ancestors. |
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To develop the traditional mulberry growing, silkworm raising and silk reeling profession in a sustainable way, Dien Kim has planned mulberry growing areas suitable to the soil conditions of each region to have stable raw materials. The return of mulberry growing and silkworm raising is a good thing, both creating jobs for the people and preserving the cultural identity of the craft village. That is not only meaningful in restoring a traditional craft village but also a suitable economic development step in the locality./. |
Ngoc Anh
