How Punjab IFS Officer’s Silk Revival Project Helps Farmers Earn Rs 25000 With 30 Days of Farm Work

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

“Earlier, I barely earned anything. Today, because of this project, I can finally say my hard work is paying off,” she smiles.

For over 25 years, Sushila had reared silkworms on a small scale, supplementing her income by making pickles and murabba. But the effort was fragile. Every rearing cycle cost her Rs 6,000–7,000 just to buy mulberry leaves. After 40 days of labour, she earned barely Rs 10,000.

“I often wondered if it was worth continuing,” she recalls.

That changed in 2022, when the Pathankot Forest Division, under Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Dharmveer Dairu, revived sericulture in Punjab’s Dhar block. For women like Sushila, it was not just support — it was survival.

Breathing Life Back into a Forgotten Tradition

Nestled in the lower Shivaliks, Dhar has long been a tough place to farm. Rain-fed fields, wildlife conflict, and shrinking opportunities forced many men into the army or daily-wage jobs. Agriculture alone rarely sustained families.

“Sericulture was practised here two or three generations ago,” says Dharmveer, a 2018-batch IFS officer. “But farmers abandoned it because of a lack of mulberry leaves, poor infrastructure, and no institutional support. With revised central guidelines, we saw a chance to bring it back.”

Under the PUN CAMPA (Punjab State Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority) scheme, the Forest Department planted 37,500 mulberry saplings across 75 hectares of degraded forest land — solving the biggest hurdle for farmers.

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

Building Silk, Stitch by Stitch

The revival was not just about planting trees — it was about building an ecosystem.

Farmers received:

• Community rearing houses and Chowki Rearing Centres (CRCs)
  

• Free rearing equipment — stands, thermometers, humidifiers
  

• Training in Jammu and Dehradun on modern sericulture practices
  

• Real-time expert guidance via WhatsApp groups
  

In two years, the project has expanded from five villages to 11, with 116 farmers involved.

Impact so far:

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

• Average farmer income: Rs 20,000–25,000 per season
  

• Work duration: just 30–35 days of focused effort
  

“Earlier, I relied on guesswork. Now I rear scientifically — controlling temperature, managing worm health, everything,” says Sushila.

More Than Income

For Sushila, each cycle has its rhythm. The first 20 days are calm, as silkworms feed silently. The last 10 are the most demanding, when cocoons are spun. “We need more hands then. My daughter helps, sometimes my husband too. But the results are worth it,” she says.

Still, challenges remain. Only one or two traders from Bengal currently buy their cocoons. “If a proper mandi system is set up, competition will bring us better prices,” she suggests.

For Dharmveer, too, the journey has not been easy. “Our forest staff knew nothing about sericulture. We had to train them from scratch, take them to Jammu, hire retired experts, run workshops. Even balancing forestry duties with sericulture was tough,” he admits.

But the project has brought unexpected benefits. Farmers now play an active role in protecting the very forests they depend on. “Last year, when a fire broke out, it was sericulture farmers who raised the alarm and helped douse it,” says Dharmveer.

A Future Woven with Silk

The Forest Department is now scaling up.

What’s next for Dhar block:

• 21 more rearing houses
  

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

• Mushroom cultivation in off-season for year-round utility
  

• Target output: 2–3 metric tonnes of cocoons per season — nearly matching Punjab’s entire silk output of the last four years combined.

For Sushila, the transformation goes beyond numbers. “Sericulture is less risky than crops. Even if the weather is bad, worms survive if cared for properly. With this support, I don’t have to depend only on my husband’s earnings. I can contribute equally,” she says with pride.

Dharmveer believes the model can be replicated across Punjab’s Kandi belt and even in parts of Himachal and Jammu. “It’s not just about silk. It’s about showing that with the right support, marginalised farmers can thrive — and forests can flourish alongside them.”

Back in her shed, Sushila checks the trays once more. The silkworms have begun to spin, wrapping themselves in delicate threads. To an outsider, it may look like routine farm work. To her, it is security, dignity, and the promise of a future she can weave with her own hands.

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