IMPHAL, January 31: Representatives of the Information Centre for Hills Area Manipur (ICHAM) along with a media team visited the Seri farm located in the Imphal East district which are being taken with funding from Japanese government for the better rearing of high quality cocoon in the state.
The media team today visited one Seri project unit located at Achanbigei Thambal Ingkhol under Imphal East district. During the media interface, the owner of the Seri farm, Senjam Kula said that he started the plantation of mulberry trees in his 5 acre land for the rearing of cocoon under the 1ST Phase of the State government. cocoon rearing selected unit among the other unit in the state some ten year back from the day
He further said that his farm is able to produce for 5 to 6 times of cocoon yeild in the year and are able to produce 80 to 90 kilogram per time and able to give a revenue to the state government from the cocoon rearing.
He further said that the state government had promised to provide him the spinning machine for the cocoon processing but till today, the state government has failed to give them till today.
Speaking to the media at the sideline of the Seri farm visit, Nongthongbam Rajendro President of ICHAM said that after checking the state climate and weather condition of the state and expressing satisfaction of the area, the Japanese officials who had come for survey for the Mulberry tree plantation and cocoon had sanctioned a sum of 1 thousand five hundred and fifty crore rupee for the project to the government. Following that, the government selected 1000 sites for farm operating unit all over the state and each unit were giving amount of 9 lakhs rupee for making 5 farm sheds of the unit for the cost of rupee 1.80 lakhs per single farm shed and also the sum of rupee 1lakh for the cocoon rearing shed for all the unit in the 1st phase in the year 2004-05
He further informed that the ICHAM team and officials had went to the area where the State government have sanctioned for farm operating unit (FOU) in the state and found that 95 percent of the (FOU) is not found existing in the place. Some of the FOU were in fact cow sheds and only 5 percent of the farms exist in the state.
He further said that regarding the announcement made by the Sericulture Minister Govindas Konthoujam that the remaining second phase of the project of three thousand four hundred and ninety nine crore will be sanctioned in a short period of time for the FOU in the state. He said that it is very unfortunate that the government has remained silent regarding the failure of the project in the state.
He further asked the state government to give the scheme to the one who will work with sincerity and dedication on their work and not to the persons who are related to high rank officials of the various departments of the state.
He further appealed to the state government not to repeat the fault made in the 1st phase and properly gives the FOU to the entire district equally and gives proper training to the mulberry tree growers, proper training of cocoon rearing to the farm and a proper market place for them. And if the government failed to do that then ICHAM will bring up all the record of mismanaging of funds in front of the all the general public of the state.