Esther Namugoji
7 November 2009
Kampala — All signs show that silk will not be like those schemes which die when donors pull out.
A number of agricultural projects have excited farmers in Uganda over the years. Many of these have been introduced as new and viable business enterprises that would make them millionaires. From mushrooms, rabbits and vanilla to moringa and neem trees, many people started the schemes, only to quit when big money stopped trickling in either from donors or from steady sales. Only a few persevered to generate real income over the years.
In 1992, silk farming was one of those that held shiny promises for those who ventured into it.
Sericulture, the growing of silk took off with a lot of interest in different parts of the country. A Uganda Silk Farmers Association, later succumbed to near death. Many discouraged farmers either cleared their mulberry trees or left them idle. Mulberry leaves are used to feed the silkworm larvae until they are ready to spin their silky cocoons at the pupa stage.
A silk farmer from Mpigi notes that most of the problems stem from the marketing side as farmers get discouraged when they fail to sell their products.
Geofrey Kansiime, the manager of Bushenyi Silk Farmers' Association (BSFA), says between 1992 and 1999, the farmers in his group managed to sell their cocoons only once.
Farmers in Iganga used to sell their cocoons to a privately owned Inula Silk Factory in Iganga, which also closed down after the owner chose to concentrate on other businesses, according to George Mpaata, the leader of the silk farmers in the eastern region.
With aid from USAID and the African Development Bank, the sector made some gains under the guidance of the National Sericulture Centre (NSC) at Kawanda Research Institute.
Kansiime says the reason silk farming suffers when there are no external funds is because it needs a lot of capital.
"For instance, our association needs capital to pay farmers for their cocoons when they are delivered. Otherwise, they lose interest in sericulture," he explains.
Since 2000, farmers have been joining the Bushenyi group and today it has 826 members. Some were trained at the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) in Nairobi in 2002 through a grant from the International Fund for Agricultural Development. The factory at Rubaare got hand reeling and weaving machines and the group has now started reeling up to the level of cloth production.
The Japanese International Co-operation Agency (JICA) has injected sh1.2b since 2005, to revitalise silk farming in Uganda. In addition to the introduction of new silkworm varieties with superior qualities in terms of cocoon production and resistance to disease, JICA funded the construction of another laboratory at NSC and provided equipment such as incubators, air conditioners and a solar system to back up power for egg production.
NSC also received two carpet making machines, two manual hand weaving machines, three twisting and three spinning machines. Also provided was a drum carding machine, a manual de-flossing machine and raw silk/vegetable dye samples.
Thirty-five reeling machines were also donated and will be availed to farmers to borrow as they build up capacity to buy their own machines. JICA also helped to organise the first silk fair to revive interest in the silk industry in Uganda.
"We can have mulberry silk throughout the year since the climate in Uganda is very good and the mulberry trees are here," says Prof. Vijay Adolkar of Ankole Western Institute of Science and Technology, adding that Bushenyi farmers are committed to the project.
The institute partners with BSFA in development of sericulture in the region and trains people interested in sericulture.
"What is needed for the success of silk farming is the continuous supply of robust varieties of silkworm in adequate quantities for the farmers. Ugandan silk is grade 'A' which is very high quality, but there is need for more training and capacity building," Adolkar adds.
In addition to at least one acre of land to plant mulberry trees, farmers need rearing houses, polythene, disinfection, water and electricity supply. Cuttings for the trees can be got from NSC in Kawanda and other farmers at a small fee.
Andrew Kalyebi, the silk development manager with the JICA/NSC project, says 18 girls from different districts were trained for three months in different skills in silk processing.
Others were trained in weaving and handicrafts from silk yarn, floss and cocoons, like carpets, house slippers, bags, table mats, jewellery and other ornaments.
The Rubaare factory has been processing silk thread and dyed yarn for export. Uganda exports raw silk, open cocoons, floss and silk yarn to Egypt, South Africa, Ethiopia and Kenya and there's potential market in other countries like Japan.
Worldwide, silk is only 0.02% of the textile market and that is why it is highly valued.
Further processing into silk scarves of different sizes and colours and men's ties has also been done in Bushenyi, but since silk is more expensive than other fabrics, most of the silk products are not bought by Ugandans. Silk is a strong textile which has a better appearance than cotton, for instance. Pure silk is cherished worldwide for its value and rich history.
Owino acknowledges that there is a need to increase awareness of these advantages among Ugandans in order to boost domestic market for finished silk products.
The minister of trade, industry and tourism, Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire, told silk producers during the silk fair that his ministry will source for funds to enable farmers acquire simple hand-reeling technology. The ministry estimated the cost at sh1.8b for between 2,000 and 5,000 farmers.
Otafiire also noted that the international market for silk is lucrative and Uganda will strive to tap into it. "My ministry is committed to supporting any initiatives aimed at commercialisation of the sericulture sector," Otafiire said.
There is hope that with the latest shot of enthusiasm among farmers and the Government, sericulture will not just be one of those schemes whose death begins as soon as donors turn to something else.
The agriculture ministry and that of trade and industry have pledged to pay particular attention to the needs of the sector and promote silk as a viable Ugandan export product.
How to reap big from silk
Sulaimani Jagwe, a silk farmer from Mpigi, explains that mulberry grows five feet tall within four months. From an acre of 3,000 mulberry trees, one has enough leaves to feed two boxes of silk worms, each with 20,000 worms.
This can produce an average of 35kg of cocoons, which are sold at sh2,800 per kilogramme for grade A, while grade B cost sh1,000 each.
"The smallest farmer can earn at least sh200,000 per season," says George Owino, the technical adviser in charge of post-harvest technology at BSFDA.
Production can take place six to eight times a year, which brings total earnings from sericulture to about sh1.2m annually. The farmer only needs to prune the trees after every harvest of silk worms in order to get new shoots to feed the larvae.
However, for sericulture to be more sustainable and lucrative, farmers need to go beyond simply selling cocoons to processing their products into at least yarn.
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