Shonitpur (Hindustan), 13 June (Hindustan). Famous as the land of golden yarn, women in a village in Sonitpur district of Assam are now producing muga yarn (golden yarn). Women are becoming self-dependent by producing this Muga yarn.
A group of women are now producing muga yarn by rearing silkworms with the help of silk department at Muga farm of silk department of Assam government at Barsala in Sonitpur district. 100 women from 13 self-help groups in the area are now busy preparing muga yarn by rearing silkworms among 6,500 som trees on 350 bighas of land at Mooga Farm in Barsala. These women keep collecting silkworms by setting up temporary camps here. Ration’s keet leta is made, after that muga yarn is produced at the appropriate time.
At present, the market price of this Muga yarn is Rs 23 thousand per kg. The silk department is producing muga yarn here. For the last several years, these people are engaged in the production of muga yarn at Muga Farm located in Barsala, Sonitpur. Meanwhile, many women from districts like Dhemaji and Lakhimpur also come here to learn the method of rearing muga worms and eri worms.
The Barsala Muga Farm was established in 1970-71 by the Sericulture Department of the Government of Assam. Here men and women of local families have become self-sufficient over the years by rearing muga moth and selling muga yarn produced from it. In this episode, women of self-help groups are also dreaming of becoming self-sufficient by rearing muga pest. Presently the price of Muga yarn is Rs 23 thousand per kg. Other women are also getting encouraged by this step of women.
