The spring silkworm cocoons market in Hai'an, a county-level city in Nantong, Jiangsu province, has recently witnessed a surge in purchases.

On June 4, all 38 cocoon-drying and purchasing centers in the city began operations. By 5 pm on the same day, they had already purchased 15,000 dan (a unit of weight equal to 50 kilograms) of cocoons.

During a work conference held on May 28 on the collection and drying of spring silkworm cocoons in the city, it was revealed that this year's city-wide purchasing target is 21,500 dan, with a further goal of reaching 25,000 dan.

Hai'an has worked to overcome the challenges posed by low temperatures during the early stage of the silkworms' growth period, especially with significant day-to-night temperature differences. With guidance from agricultural experts, silkworm farmers have enhanced their breeding management practices to ensure a successful harvest of spring silkworm cocoons.

To safeguard the interests of the farmers, the city has increased the purchasing price for high-quality pupa cocoons. Additionally, farmers engaged in continuous silkworm rearing can benefit from a subsidy of 1 yuan ($0.14) per kilogram.

"We anticipate that the average yield of spring silkworm cocoons will exceed 42.5 kg, with the base price for high-quality cocoons, including secondary bonuses, set at 68 yuan per kg, representing a year-on-year increase of over 10 percent," said Wang Jun, the director of the Hai'an silkworm and mulberry technical extension station.

This year in Hai'an, 40,000 silkworm egg batches were sown, each batch containing 25,000 to 30,000 silkworm eggs. These eggs yield silkworm cocoons weighing 50 kg each, leading to an income of over 3,000 yuan.

Silkworm cocoons are ready to be sold. [Photo/Nantong Daily]