Hi-tech silkworm breeding bases to increase farmers income
31 Mar '06
2 min read
China aims to help raise incomes of inland farmers and expand the country's silk cocoon exports by developing more silkworm breeding bases in its central and western regions.
China's Ministry of Commerce plans to build 200 high-tech silkworm breeding bases each of about 670 hectares, said Huang Hai, Assistant Minister of Commerce.
Huang said nine export-oriented silkworm breeding zones will take shape in West, Southwest, Central and Northeast China over next five years.
China has taken more than 70 percent of global shares in cocoon and silk production and trade.
The country earns around $4 billion in foreign exchange every year exporting silk products.
China's coastal region suffers from rising labor and land costs but sloping fields and wilderness land in central and western regions are suitable for growing mulberry bushes, said Huang.
New silkworm breeding zones would help increase incomes of western farmers which would decrease wealth gap between eastern and western regions.
Farmers earned more than 50 billion yuan ($6.25 billion) from harvesting cocoons raising their annual incomes by an average of 10 percent, according to Ministry's statistics.
Farmers in northwestern China's Shaanxi and Gansu provinces and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region earn average annual income of 30,000 yuan ($3,750) per hectare.
The subtropical climate of Guangxi is more favorable for silkworm breeding yielding 52,500 yuan ($6,560) per hectare per year.
marketing@alchempro.com
