Odisha Launches First Tasar Host Plant Nursery Training
Bhubaneswar, June 19: The Odisha State Sericulture Research and Training Institute (OSSR&TI) inaugurated its first Farmers’ Training Programme on Tasar Host Plant Nursery and Its Management at Resha Bhavan, Bhubaneswar.
The five‑day programme (June 19–23) aims to equip farmers with scientific techniques for nursery development and sustainable sericulture practices.
Chief Guest Guha Poonam Tapas Kumar, Commissioner‑cum‑Secretary of Handlooms, Textiles & Handicrafts, highlighted sericulture as a year‑round livelihood option, noting that nearly 15,000 families in Odisha are engaged in silk farming.
She emphasised the state’s leading position in sericulture development, with Tasar, Eri, and Mulberry silk contributing significantly to rural incomes.
Odisha’s sericulture sector supports thousands of SC/ST families across 14 districts, generating crores in annual revenue.
Government initiatives include insurance coverage, training facilities for women, revival of spinning units, and establishment of serisheds for cocoon rearing.
Under the Chief Minister’s Sericulture Development Scheme, Rs 274 crore will be invested over five years to expand all four silk varieties.
The programme also featured audio‑visual presentations, plantation drives under Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam, and exhibitions showcasing modern technologies like Buniyad Reeling Machines and Motorised Spinning Machines.
Surya Narayan Pattnaik, Additional Director, OSSR&TI, extended gratitude to participants and district officials, reaffirming Odisha’s commitment to strengthening sericulture as a sustainable livelihood.
