(Baonghean.vn) - Nghe An is home to many traditional mulberry cultivation and silkworm farming villages. Besides providing jobs and stable income for thousands of workers, these villages also preserve the traditional culture of the localities.
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| Mr. Nguyen Trong Giap's family in Hamlet 10, Nghia Dong Commune (Tan Ky District) has nearly 20 years of experience in mulberry cultivation and silkworm rearing. Last year, his family raised silkworms 7-9 times, yielding 100 kg of cocoons. With a selling price of 70,000 VND/kg for yellow cocoons and 120,000 VND/kg for white cocoons, he earned approximately 20 million VND, and after deducting expenses, he made a profit of 14-15 million VND. Photo: Phuong Thuy |
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| Silkworms are "fussy" creatures; breeders must be diligent and passionate about their work to survive. The silkworm's life cycle is 25 days, yielding one batch of cocoons. While the one-time profit from silkworm farming isn't as large as other livestock, it provides a regular income as it runs from February to October. (Photo: Phuong Thuy) |
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| The cocooning process takes about 5-8 days. According to Mr. Tran Van Nga from Hamlet 3, Dang Son (Do Luong) - who has nearly 20 years of experience in the profession - if silkworms are not produced quickly enough, they will hatch into butterflies, so production needs to be expedited. Currently, farmers have found a way to overcome this by putting the cocoons in cold storage (around 16 degrees Celsius) to slow down the hatching process by 10-16 days. Photo: Phuong Thuy |
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| Xuan Nhu silkworm village in Dang Son commune (Do Luong district) is one of the villages famous for its traditional silk reeling and spinning craft. Currently, in Xuan Nhu, there are 6 families that have formed large-scale silk reeling and spinning cooperatives, creating jobs for nearly 60 workers, not including other smaller reeling points. These days, the villagers are focusing on production to create high-quality cocoons and silk. Photo: Phuong Thuy |
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| The silk reeling and spinning workshop of Mr. Tran Van Tai's family in Dang Son commune is one of six workshops in Xuan Nhu craft village renowned for producing high-quality silk. Photo: Phuong Thuy |
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| To achieve a productivity of 3.5-4 kg of silk per day, people in Xuan Nhu craft village have invested in building boilers, replacing the previous coal-fired technology with wood-fired technology, saving costs and increasing efficiency. Photo: Phuong Thuy |
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| To produce high-quality silk, while the silkworms are cocooning, breeders must sun-dry and air-dry the cocoons so that they are dry, fragrant, and do not disintegrate during reeling, resulting in lustrous golden silk threads, which are beneficial for silk reeling. (Photo: Phuong Thuy) |
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| After the silkworm rearing process, the cocoons are removed and sun-dried for 2-3 days. The drier the silk, the shinier it becomes and the longer it can be preserved. The current price of yellow silk is 600,000 VND/kg, and white silk is 860,000 VND/kg. Photo: Phuong Thuy |
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| Silkworm pupae are a popular delicacy due to their high nutritional value. Currently, silkworm pupae are priced from 50,000 to 70,000 VND per kilogram. (Photo: Phuong Thuy) |
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| With favorable land conditions, the people of Dang Son commune have long been involved in mulberry cultivation and silkworm rearing. Currently, the entire commune has about 40 households participating in mulberry cultivation with an area of nearly 30 hectares. From the beginning of the spring season until now, the commune's silkworm cocoon production has reached about 7.5 tons (of which 4.5 tons are produced locally), contributing to a significant increase in income for households. Photo: Phuong Thuy |
Phuong Thuy
