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Exploration of Vanya Silk Biodiversity in North Eastern Region of India: Sustainable Livelihood and Poverty Alleviation

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Exploration of Vanya Silk Biodiversity in North Eastern Region of India: Sustainable Livelihood and Poverty Alleviation International Conference on Management, Economics and Social Sciences (ICMESS'2011) Bangkok Dec., 2011 EXPLORATION OF VANYA SILK BIODIVERSITY IN NORTH EASTERN REGION OF INDIA: SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD AND POVERTY ALLEVIATION S. A. Ahmed and R.K. Rajan mainly in N. E. Region, now practiced in many other states) Abstract—India has the distinction of being only country in and Muga – Golden silk produced only in Brahmaputra valley the world producing all the five commercially exploited silk of Assam province in NE Region. The non-mulberry silks varieties. India is considered as hot spot of seri-biodiversity (Tasar, Muga & Eri) are now being popularized as Vanya silk. particularly in case of non-mulberry (vanya) silk sector which The golden yellow muga silk of Assam is unique product of play a significant role in sustainable rural livelihood and India and nowhere in the world is available due to peculiar poverty alleviation in the country. Globally India is the second insect behavioural adaptation and requisite climatic condition. largest producer of silk and contributes about 15.5 % to the Unlike mulberry silk, vanya silk is wild in nature and reared total world raw silk production and generates employment to in open fields on trees in natural forests and perennial 6.8 million rural people mostly women folk. The vanya silk plantations except eri which is completely domesticated and cultivation is an eco friendly and women friendly occupation reared in indoor conditions. Silk produced by this group are that provides high employment, vibrancy to village economies simple, elegant and natural with uniqueness in colours such as and ideal programme for weaker section of society. The role natural shades of off-white, beige, brown and golden yellow. of programme and policies formulated by the Government of All production processes are eco-friendly and do not produce India such as Catalytic Development Programme, Indian chemical effluents at any stage of process. Fibres are user Forest (Conservation) Act 1981, Fibre Policy 2010 and Brand friendly and healthy because of their porous texture and Management for conservation of vanya silk vis-à-vis inclusive thermal properties, most of the consumers worldwide prefer societal development have been highlighted in the studies. them in their natural colours. However, there is immense scope for product development and diversification to address Keywords—Seri-biodiversity, sustainable livelihood, poverty consumer preferences in different parts of world. alleviation, Vanya silk. Silk constitutes world’s 3 per cent textile trade and India’s share in the world silk trade is about 9 percent and which is I. INTRODUCTION growing in recent years. Globally India is the second largest ERICULTURE broadly comprises inter-linked activities such producer of silk and contributes about 15.5 % to the total S as food plant cultivation and maintenance to feed the world raw silk production [6]. Sericulture in India has been silkworms, silkworm rearing to produce the silk cocoons, considered as one of the most labour intensive sectors, reeling the cocoons for unwinding the silk filament, yarn combining activities both agriculture (sericulture) and making, weaving and processing of fabric. India, has the industry. It provides livelihood to a large section of the distinction of being the only country in the world, producing population, i.e., around 6.8 million people covering silkworm all the five commercially exploited silk varieties viz. seed producers, farmers-cum-rearers, reelers, twisters, Mulberry silk produced throughout the country, Tropical weavers, spinners of silk waste, traders, etc. Silk is a highly Tasar, temperate/Oak Tasar, produced by tribal inhabiting remunerative cash crop, with minimum investment but rich Central India and Sub-Himalayan Region, Eri Silk (spun silk dividends, and is the only cash crop which provides sustained returns throughout the year. India’s Export earnings are more produced than INR 30000 million per annum (Table.1). S.A. Ahmed is with the Germplasm Conservation Centre, Central Muga Eri Research & Training Institute, CSB, Govt. of India, Chenijan, Jorhat- II. OVERVIEW OF VANYA SILK BIODIVERSITY 785010, India (Corresponding author) (Phone: +91-9957176388; fax: +91- India is considered as the hot spot of agro-biodiversity. 376-233; e-mail:saahmed31@ gmail.com). R.K. Rajan is with the Central Muga Eri Research & Training Institute, Seri-biodiversity refers the variability in sericigenous or silk Central Silk Board, Lahdoigarh, Jorhat, India as Director of the Institute. producing insects and their host plants [16]. Non mulberry silk 485 International Conference on Management, Economics and Social Sciences (ICMESS'2011) Bangkok Dec., 2011 moths are wild or semi-domesticated “charismatic fauna” of cultivation and production, color stability (everlasting), which produce lustrous silk and exhibit a great range of golden colour increases with each variation in life history from egg to adult with wash, tensile strength (4.53g/dn), characteristically different physiological, morphological and strongest amongst all silks, UV absorption capacity (>80%), durability (over 50 years), acid a b c resistant (resistant to concentrated Sulfuric acid) and thermal properties. The present production is around 105 MT and (a) Samia canningi, (b) Cricula trifenestrata (c) Attacus atlas around 50,000 families feeding parameters [9]. Fairly good numbers of references are directly engaged in on record about seri-biodiversity and their potential as a muga farming. The source of natural silk in Indian subcontinent [2, 5, 8, 12, 17, silkworm is multivoltine 20]. Further as many as 40 species estimated in India alone with two commercial [2]. It is also reported about 80 species occurring in Asia and crops during October- Africa to produce wild silk of economic value [7]. The family November and March-April. The commercial rearing Saturniidae comprises of about 1200-1500 species all over the operation is carried out in the outdoor conditions except world of which the Indian sub-continent, extending from cocoon formation and seed production activities. The Himalayas to Sri Lanka may possess over 50 species [12]. It is production process is highly influenced by climatic conditions the largest family of Bombycoidea sensu stricto, containing and due to non-availability of hybrids, the production and about 1861 species in 162 genera and 9 subfamilies [10]. The productivity is static during last two decades. saturniids which include some of the largest and most spectacular species of all Lepidoptera are univoltine to B. Eri Silk (Samia ricini Donovan) multivoltine depending upon the climatic conditions and are Eri silkworm is the only domesticated silkworm among the distributed in both temperate and tropical region [15]. The vanya silks in N.E. Region of India. Of late, eri culture has North-Eastern Region of India makes ideal home for a number been introduced to many non- of wild sericigenous insects and is epicentre of wild silk traditional provinces of India. culture including muga (Antheraea assamensis Helfer), eri Over the period of a decade (Samia ricini Donovan), oak tasar (Antheraea proylei Jolly ) annual production of eri raw and mulberry silk (Bombyx mori Linn.) [14]. However, the silk has significantly diversity of wild sericigenous insects in the region is not fully increased to 2460 MT (2009- explored. Given the rapid changes in land use pattern, it is 10) from 974 MT (1999- pertinent to explore, characterize, conserve and document the 2000) which is 73 per cent of status of these precious faunal species in the region. While a total raw silk production in few survey reports on wild sericigenous insects in the North- India. The sector is a means of livelihood to 1.83 lakh farm Eastern India are available [3-4, 18-19], overall diversity and families. The increase in production is due to the horizontal distribution pattern of wild silk moths in the Region are expansion of plantation and not due to the increase in generally lacking. There are 24 species of the family productivity. Development of improved breeds along with Saturniidae enlisted from North East India, including three adoption of available improved technologies is the important species of wild silk moths viz., Antheraea assamensis, tools for enhancement of productivity and employment Antheraea roylei and Attacus atlas from Nagaland [16]. The generation among rural poor. detail bio-ecology of wild silk, Cricula trifenestrata Helfer Eri silkworm is multivoltine (5-6crops in a year) and has been studied as a pest of som plant which is having polyphagous feeding on more than 20 different food plants immense scope for commercial exploration [1]. The available in India such as Ricinus communis L, Heteropanax domesticated eri silk worm (Samia ricini) is not really a fragrans (Roxb.) Seem, Evodia flaxinifolia Hook., Manihot distinct species but a form derived from Samia canningi esculanta Crantz. and different species of Ailanthus. The eri through centuries of selection for silk production which is silk has been branded as “ASHIMSA distributed throughout the region. Some of the commercially SILK” as silk is extracted without exploited vanya silks are as follows: killing the pupa. There are 19 eco- races and 6 strains of domesticated eri A. Muga Silk (Antherea assamensis Helfer) silkworms besides wild eri silk have Muga silk is a product of the Silkworm Antherea assamensis been identified and commercially Helfer endemic to Assam province. The larva
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