Sericulture declining around city

BANGALORE: The real estate sector has taken a heavy toll on silk farming in the state. Karnataka's sought-after silk registered a fall in production last season as thousands of acres around Bangalore and Mysore have been converted for other use.
Ramanagaram, Channapatna, Devanahalli, Nelamangala and Hoskote around Bangalore, and several villages near Mysore, produce 50 per cent of the state's silk."But there is at least a 20 per cent fall in production following the boom in real estate around the international airport," sericulture minister Venkataramanappa said on Thursday.
Kolar and Chikballapur districts, which produce high-quality cocoon and silk, are also facing the heat due to urbanization, the minister said, adding that the scarcity has resulted in dependence on China.
To compensate the growing gap between production and demand, Venkataramanappa said they have extended sericulture to North Karnataka. "We have been successful in identifying and promoting sericulture in Ranebennur, Chitradurga, Bidar and neighbouring parts," he said.