The Central Silk Board (CSB) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare on March 7, 2021 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on a convergence model for implementation of Agro-forestry in the silk sector under the ongoing Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF) Scheme.
- The signing of this MoU aims to incentivize the farmers to take up sericulture based Agroforestry models thereby contributing to Make in India.
- The Central Silk Board (CSB) under Ministry of Textiles will act as a catalyst to promote Agroforestry in the silk sector.
- The Buniyaad Reeling Machine for Tussar Silk Yarn were also distributed to some of the beneficiaries on the occasion. The beneficiaries also shared their experiences virtually from across the country.
- The raw silk production in the country has increased 35% in the last six years.
- Union Minister for Textile Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani further stated that this MOU signing will increase the agricultural income from 20 to 30%. Referring to the PPE kits, in which India has become the second largest producer in the world.
About SMAF scheme
- SMAF aims to encourage farmers to plant multi purpose trees together with the agriculture crops for climate resilience and additional source of income to the farmers, as well as enhanced feedstock to inter alia wood based and herbal industry.
- Hence there is a concerted effort to include medicinal, fruits, fodder, tree borne oil seeds, lac host etc in addition to the longer rotation timber species.
- The initiative of formalizing the collaboration in the sericulture sector is especially targeted for augmentation of sericulture host plants e.g. Mulberry, Asan, Arjuna, Som, Soalu, Kesseru, BadaKesseru, Phanat, etc. to be cultivated both as block plantations and border or peripheral plantations on farm lands.
