2022 Volume 32 Issue 3 Pages 73
Uzbekistan’s sericulture tradition dates back to ancient times and is of national proud. Despite considerable production of fresh cocoons at 25,000 t/year or sharing 80% in Central Asia until 2012, the sector is now struggling to reach its previous volumes. Being one of the main income sources in rural areas, family sericulture program has not yet contributed to poverty reduction due to outdated technique of cocoon rearing. Considering those statements, we conducted a study based on a questionnaire survey to identify the obstructing factors of cocoon production in Tashkent region. Major sericulture activities are practiced in spring; however, the autumn sericulture has also recently been launched on a regular basis. Therefore, we compared both sericulture seasons with a focus on sericulture farmers whose livelihoods largely depend on sericulture. We surveyed 107 sericulture farmers in total, practiced with 70% sericulture alone followed by 14% horticulture. They were presumably selected based on rearing seasons and taking care practice of mulberry plantations.
Surveyed farmers had 29% agriculture background while 59% being temporary workers engaged in seasonal sericulture, having 51% income from sericulture followed by horticulture (27%) and subsidies (22%). Mulberry land areas of 1, 2, 3 ha and other (<1 ha) used by spring and spring+autumn farmers were 44%, 32%, 4%, and 19%, respectively. 86% of land occupied by mulberry, while 25% intended to cropping purposes, of them 77% rented from government for mulberry. Interesting case was seen at sericulture experiences where spring farmers were greater in number (28%) of 1-3 years of experience while spring+autumn group with 39% over 10 years of experience. Therefore, number of silkworms raised by spring farmers at 65% case consisted of 1 box followed by 35% of 2 boxes, where spring+autumn farmers instead of one, grown two and three boxes at 71% and 29%, respectively (p=<0.01). Similarly, both sericulture farmers found main obstacles as climate related at 60-62% case, followed by diseases at 20-24%, relatively (p=<0.01). These struggling factors could not be prevented due to traditionally home-based sericulture (p=>0.05), occupying both living rooms (43-44%) and cow sheds (30-38%). Therefore, particular efforts are required to maintain the day/night temperature, and humidity in cowshed or living rooms used as rearing places; keeping the mulberry leaves freshness in autumn while washing out the dirty leaves in autumn before feeding the silkworms which were even more effortful and time-consuming.
