The Indian silk industry is the second-largest producer of silk in the world. While domestic silk demand is soaring high, the need of the hour is to increase silk production. Sericulture is one of the important means of livelihood for the majority of the farmers in South India, especially in the states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Karnataka, referred to as the ‘Silk Bowl of India’, occupies the top spot in producing mulberry silk in the country.
The silk sector in our country has several bottlenecks. The humble seri farmer should every day tread his path through these challenges that make sericulture an unpleasant experience for him. Owing to this, several farmers, the backbone of the Indian sericulture sector, are backing out of seri farming and choosing other options to earn an income. However, the global demand for silk never ceases to drop.
Some of the Problems Faced by Sericulturists
- Absence of proper market
- Rising imports of low-quality silk
- Improper storage facilities
- Lack of finance
- High cost of production and low productivity
- The dearth of technology interventions
- Improper information on market trends
Sericulture in India is still bound by the shackles of age-old conventional systems. ReshaMandi with apt technology is modernising and also revolutionising silk farming. Gone are the days when the farmer would make negligible profits by selling cocoons. ReshaMandi super-app has empowered farmers by providing them with better livelihoods. However, most of the farmers are not tech-savvy, and any amount of technology without ample guidance is of no avail to the fleet.
ReshaMandi Creates an Open Discussion Forum for Farmers
We need to have an effective forum through which farmers can interact with us and also receive the required guidance from experts.
ReshaMandi has found the right solution to this. It is organising farmer’s meet across the length and breadth of Karnataka to establish better connections with the seri farmers. What do farmers stand to gain from these events?
- Knowledge Share
At these events, ReshaMandi’s local teams meet the seri farmers. These events offer them a phygital experience. ReshaMandi’s team educates them about the super app and the various conveniences associated with its usage. As they provide a live demo of the app’s usage, farmers get easily acquainted with the product and its benefits.
- Information About Market Trends
Crop failure, suboptimal produce, and more problems deter farmers from pursuing seri farming. The negligible profits they reap are also one of the crucial factors that are propelling seri farmers to move away from farming. By participating in the event, farmers can interact with the ReshaMandi team and get relevant data about the latest prices offered for the products in the markets.
- Advisories From Sericulture Experts
Lack of guidance and information about the correct agricultural practices leaves the seri farmers in the lurch. ReshaMandi’s farmer’s meet has manifested into a good opportunity for the sericulturists to learn about the best agricultural practices. At the meeting, ReshaMandi’s in-house sericulture expert shares advisories with the farmers about the changes they have to make in their farming practices and the inputs they should use to keep diseases at bay and gain better produce.
- The Right Technical Know-How
Apart from knowledge about the best farming practices, guidance about using and incorporating the latest technical devices into farming is also vital for the seri farmers. At ReshaMandi’s farmers’ meet, the sericulturists get hands-on experience of using the IoT device that can be installed in their rearing sheds to monitor the optimum growth conditions.
- Addressal of Their Problems
ReshaMandi’s farmer’s meet is an open forum in which the farmers can raise and resolve the issues plaguing them. A question and answer session provides the farmers with an opportunity to discuss the queries they have about online transactions and more with the ReshaMandi team. At a time when queries are preferably resolved via chat or digital platforms, ReshaMandi is at the farm gates of the humble stakeholders, attempting to understand their problems and provide a quick resolution.
ReshaMandi has become the crusader of farmers, the main link in the natural fibre supply chain. Working at grass-roots levels by bringing in modernisation, ReshaMandi has effectively helped farmers change the way they do agriculture. By enabling good farming practices, ReshaMandi has created avenues for farmers to have a better livelihood.
The farmers’ meet organised at various ReshaMandi’s centres immensely benefits the sericulturists as they get to know about applying technology in day-to-day farming practices. This open forum also creates awareness about ReshaMandi among the stakeholders and also aids in onboarding new farmers.
