Can Large-Scale Aquaculture Save Zhejiang Silk Industry?

Recently, the staff members of the Songhua village's professional cooperative in Songhua village, Mei Zhu Town, Xinchang, have finished the last batch of 60 silkworms this year from silkworm eggs, together with 11 silkworm eggs that have been brought up since April. Altogether 12 silkworms have been raised this year.

Unlike traditional farmers, it was the first time in Zhejiang.

Xinchang Huaxing mulberry professional cooperatives began planting mulberry trees and silkworm houses two or three years ago. The mulberry garden area is about 1000 mu, and the silkworm area is 6000 square meters.

Last year, the cooperative kept 1100 silkworms. (Zhang, the unit of measurement of silkworm eggs, a silkworm equivalent to about 100 tons of fresh cocoon), produced 47 tons a year.

It is equivalent to the amount of cocoon produced by farmers during the past two years.

Xinchang sericulture station master Ping Ping said that the traditional way of raising silkworms was mainly scattered by farmers. Starting from spring silkworms every year in April, four silkworms were raised a year, and then they were formally completed after the end of September.

But in recent years, with the countryside

For example, from April to October last year, the cooperative raised 12 times of silkworms: "silkworm babies have higher requirements for room temperature and humidity, install air conditioners in each silkworm room, and peak farming, and increase production through such a way."

At present, 51 households in Songjia village have joined the cooperatives, and the cooperatives have hired farmers to cultivate them. In addition to long-term work, temporary workers are also employed in the peak period of employment during each cycle.

Because nearly 2500 yuan a month's income, and do not have to bear their own market risks, the elderly villagers are very willing to work for cooperatives.

In recent three years, the price of raw silk has been rising all the way.

The price of raw silk remained at about 140 thousand per tonne the year before. It broke through 300 thousand yuan last year, in the first half of this year.

In Xinchang County, almost every household in the 90s of last century cultivated silkworms, which is one of the main income of farmers.

However, the town sericulture station director Ping said that only the middle-aged and elderly people over the age of 45 still have the habit of keeping silkworms, and the total number of farms has been reduced by more than 1/4.

Silk is a traditional bulk export commodity in Zhejiang Province, accounting for 40% of the country's total exports.

But in recent years, this traditional competitive industry is shrinking.

In order to ensure the supply of raw materials, many Zhejiang silk enterprises have gradually shifted to the West.

Silk road control group Co., Ltd. set up its own production base in Guangxi and Sichuan respectively.

Ling Lanfang, chairman of the company, said that in the future, only high-end links such as design, research and development will be retained in Zhejiang, and production will gradually be dominated by the western region.

Meng manager of Hua Ding Jincheng silk Co. Ltd. seems that the feasibility of large-scale farming in other parts of Zhejiang is not high enough, and it is hard to form a trend.

"For example, there must be a large scale mulberry garden. Now the land cost of Hangzhou Jia Hu area is so high that few enterprises are willing to invest."

Meng said, raw material is not the only factor that determines the development of silk enterprises.

"Although the price of silk has been rising along with the output of raw materials, the global economy is weakening, and the demand for silk from international customers is declining rapidly. These have seriously affected the silk industry in Zhejiang."