Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Addis Ababa
27 December 2007
Harare — In the early 80s a handful of North Koreans quietly produced silk and exported it to their country. When the Derg was about to fall, they abandoned the facility, packed their things and know-how and slipped out.
The locals were only left with the story of some Koreans who worked on the Zeway state farm.
Some say the North Koreans were allowed to work in the state farm in return for the military assistance that was being provided to the Derg -- a sort of payment for the arms that Megistu's government was receiving from the North Koreans.
During Emperor Haile Selassie's era, coffee was affected by a disease known as CBD. The affected beans fetched low prices on the world market and alternatives had to be found.
British agricultural experts advised that farmers be involved in sericulture, and 31 towns were selected for the project.
When the Derg took power the project was put on hold and gradually forgotten until the North Koreans came. Even then the Koreans locked themselves in and did not want to share the technology.
Despite the economic benefits that the country would have had from the sector, the activities had just remained at a stage of adaptation research.
Japan's economic recovery after World War II was greatly aided by developing a silk industry second only to China.
However, the Japanese silk industry is rapidly declining nowadays as industrial employment offers higher incomes.
In many countries sericulture is a sideline industry that offers a means for people to increase their incomes especially in rural areas.
Now, the idea of developing and promoting sericulture in Ethiopia has once again been given attention.
The government believes developing sericulture would create additional employment and income, and would address food insecurity.
In addition, considerations were also made of the positive role that sericulture will play in protecting the environment.
The castor plant, which will be used for feeding the silk worms, will be planted on an area of about 513 790 hectares of deforested and degraded land. The seed of the plant is also used for biofuel production.
The benefit to the households is really multi-faceted: they can earn more income from the castor plant as it is required for biofuel production; edible oil can be produced from the plant; and the health benefits are many.
With that in mind, investment is also being made in the sector by providing extension services to popularise the technology.
Mulberry production potential is being carried out in two national centres, in Melkassa Agricultural Research Centre and in Alage Agricultural, Technical and Vocational Education Training College.
These centres produce mulberry cuttings for distribution to the regions and provide relevant training to those engaged in the sector.
The biggest investment, however, is a more than 51 000 000 birr worth silk factory which is to be built in the Tigray region. This will be the first silk factory on the continent.
Founder and owner of the factory Joseph Mateka Chicco says that when Jose Silk Textile Factory is finished, and by the time it reaches its five-year project lifetime, it will be able to produce 21 352 800 kilograms of silk cocoons in the Tigray region alone.
The project, however, is not limited to Tigray and involves 10 other regions: Addis Ababa, Afar, Amhara, Benshangul, Dire Dawa, Gambella, Harari, Oromia, Somali, and Southern Peoples.
The total production estimate in the five-year production period, according to Jose's project documents, is 164 449 000kg of silk cocoons.
It is also estimated that about 5 000 000 households (25 000 000 people) will benefit from the five-year project in all the regions. -- The Reporter.
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