Silkworm growers get govt nod to use Nallamaddi leaves

Hyderabad: The Telangana State government on Wednesday accorded permission to the Commissioner of Sericulture for utilisation of Nallamaddi (Indian laurel) and Erramaddi leaves for rearing of silkworms by the Tassar growers who are mostly tribals.

The orders issued by the Principal Secretary to the government Rajeshwar Tiwari said the utilisation of leaves would be allowed in the forest areas of Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal and Khammam districts for a period of five years.

This activity would not be permitted in National Park, sanctuaries and biosphere reserves. The Forest Department will raise the plantation in the identified naturally grown forest areas for silk cultivation. Central Silk Board and the Sericulture Department shall ensure training of the growers involved in silk cultivation, prior to taking up such activities in forest areas.

To preserve the ecology of a particular forest area, no exotic silk worm or any hybrid variety developed by using exotic genome, would not be introduced in forest areas. Biannual monitoring of the forest areas under silk cultivation would be done by a team comprising of the concerned officials in order to ensure prevention of any epidemic in forest areas as well as proper handling of trees by the growers, the order said.