Impact of Urbanisation on Sericulture Development in Karnataka

Sericulture is an agro-based labour intensive activity, which plays a significant role in the development of rural economy in India. Karnataka is the leading producer of silk in India, which contributes for about 50 per cent of the mulberry raw silk production in the country. In Karnataka, the silk production is concentrated in the southern region comprising Bangalore-Urban, Bangalore-Rural, Ramanagaram, Chikkaballapura, Kolar and Tumkur districts. The speedy urbanisation and the possible fall out of implementation of Special Economic Zones (SEZ) in the surrounding areas of Bangalore in the recent years have led to diversion of land and labour for non-agricultural uses. Changes in the climate, pressure on the availability of water etc. are the other factors adversely affecting sericulture development in the southern region. In this context, the study was taken up to analyse the impact of urbanisation on productivity, profitability and expansion of sericulture in the peri-urban areas of Bangalore. The compound annual growth rate computed for area under mulberry in different taluks in Bangalore-Urban, Bangalore-Rural and Ramanagaram districts for the period between 1996-97 and 2007-08 indicated a sharp decline in the area under mulberry, invariably in all taluks. The study also revealed the prominence of the small sized sericulture farms and higher economic efficiency in the peri-urban region compared to sericulture farms in Mandya district of Karnataka. The major constraints faced by the farmers in practising sericulture in the urban areas were difficulty in the availability of labour, higher labour wages, pollution, high input costs and irrigation water problems.