ASSESSMENT OF SILK YARN PRODUCTION IN ONDO AND OYO STATES, NIGERIA. BY ODILI, NNEKA ZELDA B.TECH INDUSTRIAL DESIGN (TEXTILES) IDD/99/2425 A THESIS IN THE DEPARMENT OF INDUSTRIAL DESIGN SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULIFILMENT OF THE REQUIRMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF TECHNOLOGY IN INDUSTRIAL DESIGN OF THE FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, AKURE NIGERIA. JULY, 2012. ABSTRACT Sericulture, the technique of silk yarn production, is an agro- industry, which has contributed to the urban and rural economy of Ondo and Oyo States of Nigeria. Silk yarn is a protein produced from silk-glands of silkworms. The value attached to silk yarn clothing cannot be over emphasized because the production of silk yarn as a natural protein fibre which has been used for fabric production for centuries even before the coming of the white men in Nigeria. This study was able to assess silk yarn production in Ondo and Oyo States of Nigeria. The towns selected were Owo, Akure and Ondo in Ondo States and Iseyin and Oyo in Oyo State. To achieve this, data on issues relating to the specific objectives of the study were collected through structured questionnaires. Four sets of structured questionnaires were administered to the producers, weavers, traders and consumers of silk yarn production in four randomly selected towns in Ondo and Oyo state Nigeria .Viz (Owo, Ondo, Akure, Iseyin and Oyo). The questionnaires were designed to obtain information on age groups, occupation and sex of those interested in silk yarn production. The questionnaires were collected, collated and analyzed. Descriptive statistics that involves the use of frequency distribution, mean score and percentage were used to analyse the data obtained with the four sets of questionnaires administered. The study also look into effort made by government and private organization in the establishment of silk production in the selected States. It equally identifies factors that could aid the establishment of cottage silk production. It further identifies the needs of end-users, weavers and textile industries that could enhance national economic development and also assessed the adequacy of locally available technical and infrastructural facilities for the production of silk yarns. In all, silk yarn production is important to the nation’s economy and it’s a potential source of employment for both urban and rural communities. CHAPTER ONE 1.0 INTRODUCTION The importance of silk fibre to the production of lustrous and elegant fabrics in the textile industry cannot be over emphasized. Silk is a natural protein fibre which has been used for fabric production for centuries. Ogunduyile (2005) notes that the production of silk worldwide; its utility and contribution to clothing, leaves no one in doubt that it has been a lucrative business. Literature reviews in the field of sericulture indicate that the development and use of silk is not recent. Its emergence has been traced to China and has since been embraced by South Korea, Japan, and India and later by some European countries. The production of silk makes use of effective family labour with simple technology which serves as a source of continuous cash flow for individuals. It has assisted those governments to earn foreign exchange thereby increasing the economy of the nation. Negri (1976) notes that wild silk fibres have been used by various ethic groups in Nigeria for centuries. Wild silk from –Anaphe Ambrizia Butler, Anaphe Carteri were being harvested, spun, woven, dyed and sewn to beautiful attires and used by various cultures in Nigeria before independence. Ogunduyile (2005) observes that the early alaari, kijipa, and etu were made from the wild silk fibres and were sewn into gbariye, dansiki, dandogo and agbada etc. It is on record that the use of wild silk materials got to a peak shortly before the First World War when the colonial government made attempt to establish a parachute making industry to fully utilize local silk which was considered to be more suitable. The use of fibres from the local silk worms began to give way when the First World War ended. Other factors, such as the negative attitudes of the colonial masters to the growth of local industries, cheap imported fabrics from Europe and Asia, as well as the heavy and coarse nature of the fabrics made from the wild silk led to the rapid decline in the sector. The subsequent feasibility studies by United African Full text of this document can be accessed by visiting the Post Graduate Research Unit of Albert Ilemobade Library, FUTA or contact the Reference Librarian via [email protected] .