Agriculture minister recommends silk farming

BANGKOK, April 13 (TNA) -- The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives is supporting farmers in growing mulberry trees and silkworms as China is reducing its silk production. Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Chatchai Sarikalya said on Wednesday that Thai farmers had an opportunity as China was reducing its silk production while global demand and prices remained stable and Thai silk factories needed about 1,000 tons of raw silk thread for the time being. His ministry through the Queen Sirikit Department of Sericulture is providing farmers with quality mulberry trees and silkworms as well as training. The minister said silk farming was profitable because mulberry trees lived about 40 years and consumed little water. His ministry arranged for contract farming so that farmers would sell cocoons to Charoon Thai Silk Co for at least 180-200 baht per kilogram. A farmer with a six-rai mulberry plantation would produce 720 kilograms of cocoons yearly and thus earn 12,000 baht a month on average, Gen Chatchai said. Farmers would also have extra income from silkworm excrement fertilizer and products made from mulberry trees, he said. (END)