Hechi excels in mulberry field area and cocoon output yet again

Hechi's total mulberry field area and cocoon output have ranked the first for nine consecutive years nationwide.

At present, Hechi in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region has 805,000 mu (53,666 hectares) mulberry fields in total. In 2014, the gross output value of fresh cocoon in the city stood at 4.1 billion yuan ($660.5 million) and the industrial and agricultural output value of cocoon silk reached 7 billion yuan. Mulberry planting and silkworm breeding have become an important way for Hechi people to attain prosperity. As silkworm feeds on mulberry leaf, both mulberry fields and cocoon production create an industrial chain.

To enhance the production efficiency and to increase competitiveness, Hechi held a seminar in Yizhou on July 13 about the mechanization of silkworm production. Although the silkworm industry in Hechi has progressed, its level of mechanization still lags behind. Relying on manual operation has become a key factor restricting the silkworm industrial development.

Some large scale silkworm raisers demonstrated mechanical ways to increase cocoon production productivity at the seminar, which clearly indicated it yields six to seven times faster results compared to traditional manual operations.

Officials from Guangxi and Hechi agricultural machinery bureau and experts in the field highlighted four suggestions to promote the mechanization of silkworm production, including standardized planting, encouraging independent research and development, strengthening cooperation with research institutes and increasing state subsidies for agricultural machinery.

Edited by Mevlut Katik