Value Chain Analysis of Cocoons, Constraints faced by women in Production and Marketing of Mulberry Silk in Chikkaballapur District of Karnataka, India

The present study was carried out in Chikkaballapur district of Karnataka to assess the marketing costs, value chain of cocoons and constraints faced by women in production and marketing of mulberry silk in the year 2021. The study adopted multistage random sampling for the selection of farmers and intermediaries, 90 and 50 respectively. The marketing costs are calculated for one quintal of cocoons among the stratified farmers. The marketing cost incurred was estimated to be Rs 980.78, amongst which the largest share was observed higher for marketing fee accounted 40.89 per cent, followed by packing material accounting 20.72 per cent. The producer’s share in consumer’s rupee was accounted to 34.28 per cent. The process of cocoons, the marketing costs and margins shown that the silk weavers purchased coloured weft from the silk twisters which accounts highest share of 42 per cent of the total cost of consumer’s price. The major constraints faced by women in mulberry cultivation was water scarcity etc. Constraints encountered in cocoon production was mainly pest and disease of mulberry silkworms. Constraints encountered in marketing of mulberry silk cocoons majorly was high price fluctuations in the market followed by the absence of quality based pricing. The constraints faced by reelers in mulberry silk production are high investment cost and high price fluctuations was observed in marketing of silk.