DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE
West Bengal has a
glorious history of silk industry for hundreds of years along the Gangetic
belt. During 17th and 18th century Bengal alone produced
and exported 24 lakh Lbs. of silk to Europe annually from Cossimbazar of
Murshidabad district, the then main silk trade centre in the country. But the
industry suffered time and again due to out break of silkworm diseases, which
reduced the industry on a verge of extinction. The Govt. of India felt the need
to set up a full-fledged research institute to restore the past glory of the
silk industry. In 1943, this premier Research Institute was established at
Berhampore, in the historic district of Murshidabad in West Bengal to provide
the research and development support for promotion of the silk industry in
India.
Since establishment, the Institute has made
outstanding contribution for overall development of silk industry in the
Eastern and North-eastern region. In Moriculture, new mulberry varieties with
high leaf productivity and quality have been developed for irrigated and
rainfed conditions, alluvial, red-laterite, and acidic soils including hilly
areas. Improved package of mulberry cultivation practices for different regions
have been developed. Technologies have been developed to produce Phosphatic and
Nitrogenous bio-fertilizers and vermin-compost as substitutes of chemical
fertilizers, which are eco-friendly and economical to the farmers. Similarly,
region and season specific high yielding silkworm breeds have also been evolved.
Eastern and North-eastern states, coming
under tropical region, are having distinctly different climatic conditions in
different seasons, which become a serious impediment for sustainable production
of silk both in quantity and quality. Scientists of CSR&TI, Berhampore took
up the challenge and developed complete silkworm rearing package of practices
integrating the management of mulberry and silkworm diseases and pests.
The Institute has a good extension network
for dissemination of the technologies developed by the institute to the farmers
and regular feed back through its nested units like RSRSs, RECs and REC-Sub
Units located in different states. RSRSs deal with the local Sericultural
problems in addition to the adaptive, operational and extension programmes in
the respective states.
The Institute has commendable contribution
in post-cocoon research by developing improved cooking and reeling techniques.
The Institute is continuously striving for
higher productivity of mulberry and silkworm races and refinement of
technologies related to sericulture. Since 1975, CSRTI, Berhampore has been
producing trained manpower in sericulture through various training programmes
and till date 5951 candidates have completed their courses successfully, who
are serving the nation through sericulture development.
The Institute has been aiming at developing
eco-friendly and low cost technologies, which are within the reach of the
poorest of the poor farmers. Thus innovative and indigenous low cost
technologies will improve socio-economic conditions of Sericulturists and boost
up the country’s silk production.
CSR&TI, Berhampore has a far and wide vision to become a
unique Research Institution in the country upholding the heritage of
sericulture in the region through R&D support for promotion of silk
industry, rural development, generation of human resources and quality
consciousness among the silk producers for sustaining in the competitive
market.