How an IFS Officer’s Sericulture Push Reworked 100+ Farmers’ Livelihoods

On a heat March afternoon in Durang Khad village, 45-year-old Sushila Devi adjusts the sericulture trays stacked neatly inside her rearing shed. Tiny silkworms writhe throughout freshly plucked mulberry leaves, a scene that fills her with quiet satisfaction.

“Earlier, I barely earned something. At the moment, due to this mission, I can lastly say my exhausting work is paying off,” she smiles.

For over 25 years, Sushila had reared silkworms on a small scale, supplementing her earnings by making pickles and murabba. However the effort was fragile. Each rearing cycle value her Rs 6,000–7,000 simply to purchase mulberry leaves. After 40 days of labour, she earned barely Rs 10,000.

“I typically questioned if it was price persevering with,” she remembers.

That modified in 2022, when the Pathankot Forest Division, below Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Dharmveer Dairu, revived sericulture in Punjab’s Dhar block. For ladies like Sushila, it was not simply assist — it was survival.

Respiratory Life Again right into a Forgotten Custom

Nestled within the decrease Shivaliks, Dhar has lengthy been a troublesome place to farm. Rain-fed fields, wildlife battle, and shrinking alternatives compelled many males into the military or daily-wage jobs. Agriculture alone not often sustained households.

“Sericulture was practised right here two or three generations in the past,” says Dharmveer, a 2018-batch IFS officer. “However farmers deserted it due to a scarcity of mulberry leaves, poor infrastructure, and no institutional assist. With revised central tips, we noticed an opportunity to convey it again.”

Below the PUN CAMPA (Punjab State Compensatory Afforestation Fund Administration and Planning Authority) scheme, the Forest Division planted 37,500 mulberry saplings throughout 75 hectares of degraded forest land — fixing the most important hurdle for farmers.

For Sushila, the affect was fast. “Earlier, I harvested solely 10–15 kg of cocoons. In my first season with the Forest Division, I produced 40 kg. My earnings grew from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000, and later to Rs 40,000,” she beams.

Constructing Silk, Sew by Sew

The revival was not nearly planting timber — it was about constructing an ecosystem.

Farmers acquired:

• Group rearing homes and Chowki Rearing Centres (CRCs)
  

• Free rearing gear — stands, thermometers, humidifiers
  

• Coaching in Jammu and Dehradun on trendy sericulture practices
  

• Actual-time knowledgeable steering through WhatsApp teams
  

In two years, the mission has expanded from 5 villages to 11, with 116 farmers concerned.

Affect to this point:

• Cocoon manufacturing rose from 650 kg (2023) to 1,000 kg (2024)
  

• Common farmer earnings: Rs 20,000–25,000 per season
  

• Work length: simply 30–35 days of targeted effort
  

“Earlier, I relied on guesswork. Now I rear scientifically — controlling temperature, managing worm well being, all the pieces,” says Sushila.

Extra Than Earnings

For Sushila, every cycle has its rhythm. The primary 20 days are calm, as silkworms feed silently. The final 10 are essentially the most demanding, when cocoons are spun. “We’d like extra arms then. My daughter helps, typically my husband too. However the outcomes are price it,” she says.

Nonetheless, challenges stay. Just one or two merchants from Bengal at present purchase their cocoons. “If a correct mandi system is ready up, competitors will convey us higher costs,” she suggests.

For Dharmveer, too, the journey has not been straightforward. “Our forest workers knew nothing about sericulture. We needed to prepare them from scratch, take them to Jammu, rent retired specialists, run workshops. Even balancing forestry duties with sericulture was powerful,” he admits.

However the mission has introduced surprising advantages. Farmers now play an lively function in defending the very forests they depend upon. “Final yr, when a hearth broke out, it was sericulture farmers who raised the alarm and helped douse it,” says Dharmveer.

A Future Woven with Silk

The Forest Division is now scaling up.

What’s subsequent for Dhar block:

• 21 extra rearing homes
  

• An Computerized Reeling Machine (ARM) so farmers can spin silk yarn themselves
  

• Mushroom cultivation in low season for year-round utility
  

• Goal output: 2–3 metric tonnes of cocoons per season — almost matching Punjab’s complete silk output of the final 4 years mixed.

For Sushila, the transformation goes past numbers. “Sericulture is much less dangerous than crops. Even when the climate is dangerous, worms survive if cared for correctly. With this assist, I don’t should rely solely on my husband’s earnings. I can contribute equally,” she says with satisfaction.

Dharmveer believes the mannequin may be replicated throughout Punjab’s Kandi belt and even in elements of Himachal and Jammu. “It’s not nearly silk. It’s about exhibiting that with the proper assist, marginalised farmers can thrive — and forests can flourish alongside them.”

Again in her shed, Sushila checks the trays as soon as extra. The silkworms have begun to spin, wrapping themselves in delicate threads. To an outsider, it might appear like routine farm work. To her, it’s safety, dignity, and the promise of a future she will be able to weave along with her personal arms.

(Edited by Vidya Gowri; all pictures courtesy: Dharmveer Dairu IFS.)