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S. RESHMA CHANDAN, N. VANI*, V. PRABHAVATHI AND P. SUMATHI
Department of Agri Business Management, Institute of Agribusiness Management, ANGRAU, Tirupati – 517 502, Chittoor Dt., Andhra Pradesh
Sericulture is the cultivation of silk through rearing of silk worm. It involves series of activities like mulberry cultivation, cocoon production, silk reeling and the products in different forms. It is a farm-based, labour intensive and commercially attrac-tive economic activity. This study aims to know the profitability of mulberry cultivation and cocoon production by using primary data collected from 60 farmers of Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. The cost of mulberry cultivation per hectare worked out to be 1,07,015.5 for rearing of 2939.65 Disease free Laying (DFLs). The gross income on selling of mulberry leaves and stalks (by product) amounts 1,20,233.99. So it is not profitable to cultivate mulberry for selling of leaves instead one could rear the silk worm by purchasing leaves, but availability of mulberry leaves during all times is not assured. The cost of rearing 2939.65 DFLs worked out to be 3,46,115.58 and returns amounts 7,12,620.94. The B-C ratio of cocoon production was 1.19.
DFLs, sericulture, cost and returns, marginal farms, small farms, pooled farms.