Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir government has approved  ambitious project worth Rs 91 crore with an aim to revive and revitalize the silk industry in the UT through technological interventions.

The project which contains end to end interventions, right from availability of mulberry leaves to better seed and worm production and finally augmentation of reeling facilities, shall double the number of cocoons produced in J&K and boost value addition by establishment of a state-of-the-art automatic reeling facility at Jammu, Daily Good Morning Kashmir reported.

Sericulture or silk production, has a long established history amd market, local as well as foreign, in Jammu and Kashmir. The region is known for its high-quality bivoltine silk and has the potential to become a major silk producing hub in the country, the news portal reported.

The industry was facing challenges in recent times and needed modernization.

“Sericulture is the only cash crop that ensures significant returns in a short span of time, earning it a special place in the rural economy. Although the state produces high-quality bivoltine cocoons, productivity and total cocoon output are low” Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture Production Department while higlighting the broad contours of the samctioned project, told the news portal.

Similarly, cocoon yields are half of the national average and over the past few years the output from the sector has been shrinking. Improving seed quality, rearing facilities and cocoon processing will provide a huge shot in the arm for the sector and improve income at farm levels, he added.