Hoshiarpur: The Central Silk Board (CSB) under the Ministry of Textiles has concluded a nine-programme field outreach campaign in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district under its ‘Mera Resham Mera Abhiman (MRMA) 2.0’ initiative, aimed at strengthening scientific sericulture practices and improving livelihood opportunities for farmers.
The outreach series, conducted from August 5 to 16, 2026, was organised by CSB-RSRS Miran Sahib, Jammu, under CSR&TI Pampore in coordination with the Sericulture Wing of the Punjab Department of Horticulture.
The initiative focused on taking technical knowledge directly to sericulture clusters, strengthening farmer-scientist interaction and addressing challenges faced by farmers at the field level.
Nine Programmes Held Across Hoshiarpur
The campaign included a combination of stakeholder consultations, awareness programmes, farmer training sessions, technology demonstrations and field visits.
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The nine-programme series included:
- 1 District Stakeholder Consultation Meeting at Mukerian
- 2 Sericulture Awareness Programmes at Sibo Chak and Niku Chak, Hajipur
- 2 Farmer Training Programmes at Hardokhundunpur and Jahanpur
- 2 Technology Demonstration Programmes at Rajwal and Jharera
- 1 Field Visit-cum-Exposure Programme at Naurangpur
- 1 Interaction Meeting and Review Session
The concluding review session provided an opportunity to assess the campaign, gather farmer feedback and identify issues requiring continued technical support.
Focus on Scientific Sericulture and Better Cocoon Quality
The programmes placed emphasis on improving production practices and helping farmers adopt scientific approaches to sericulture.
Key areas covered included:
- Scientific silkworm rearing
- Improved mulberry management
- Hygiene and disease prevention
- Better cocoon quality
- Adoption of sericulture technologies
- Improved leaf availability
- Cocoon production and marketing
- Livelihood diversification through cocoon value addition
Farmers also shared field-level challenges related to silkworm rearing, mulberry cultivation, disease management and marketing with the visiting scientists and officials.
Farmers to Help Shape Five-Year Sericulture Plan
The Central Silk Board said feedback collected during the outreach programmes will be used as an input for preparing the District-Level Sericulture Development Plan for the next five years.
Farmers expressed satisfaction with the technical guidance and practical interventions provided during the campaign. They also indicated their willingness to adopt improved sericulture practices.
The direct interaction with scientists and officials was aimed at ensuring that technical solutions remain aligned with the actual challenges faced by farmers in the district.
Scientist-Led Field Outreach Strengthens Farmer Support
The programmes were organised and conducted by Dr. Rubia Bukhari, Scientist-B, with support from officials of the Central Silk Board and Punjab’s sericulture administration.
The campaign involved:
- Dalbir Singh, Punjab State Nodal Officer
- Balwinder Singh, District Nodal Officer, Hoshiarpur
- Shivani Chagti, Senior Sericulture Promotion Officer
- Karamjeet Singh, Sericulture Promotion Officer
- Sarbjit Singh, STA, CSB-RSRS Jammu
The field-level engagement enabled farmers to receive guidance directly from the scientific team while allowing officials to assess local production and marketing challenges.
Senior CSB Officials Provide Guidance and Institutional Support
The MRMA 2.0 outreach series in Hoshiarpur was implemented under the guidance and support of senior Central Silk Board officials, whose institutional oversight helped steer the campaign and its field-level activities.
The officials included:
- P. Sivakumar, a 2000-batch IFS officer from the Assam-Meghalaya cadre and Member Secretary, Central Silk Board.
- Dr. Naresh Babu N., a 2013-batch IFS officer from the Tripura cadre and Joint Secretary (Technical), Central Silk Board.
- Dr. S. Manthira Moorthy, Director (Technical), Central Silk Board.
- Dr. N. Shaktivel, Director, CSB-CSR&TI Pampore.
- Dr. Umesha A., Head, CSB-RSRS Jammu.
MRMA 2.0 Aims to Strengthen Sericulture Livelihoods
The Hoshiarpur campaign forms part of the Central Silk Board’s broader Mera Resham Mera Abhiman 2.0 outreach initiative.
By combining technology demonstrations, training and direct interaction with farmers, the programme seeks to promote scientific and sustainable sericulture, improve productivity and strengthen livelihood opportunities in rural communities.
The CSB said the successful completion of the Hoshiarpur series has strengthened technology transfer and farmer capacity-building while creating a stronger channel for continued farmer-scientist engagement.
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