GUWAHATI, June 8 � Governor Janaki Ballav Patnaik has made a suggestion for adopting green house technology in rearing muga seed cocoons. This suggestion of the Governor came at the first meeting of the Advisory Committee for Technology Development and Production Centre for Muga Silk (TDPCM), which was held recently at the Raj Bhawan here.
The Governor insisted upon locally manufacturing all the equipment required for mechanised production of muga silk fabric in future and he asked everybody present in the meeting to make a composite plan for production of power looms in Assam for the purpose.
The Governor also called for steps to set up three production units of muga silk fabric with mechanised technology, basing on the present strength of raw materials available in the muga silk producing areas of the State. The units should be located at North Lakhimpur, Jorhat and Boko.
He declared State�s Handloom, Textile and Sericulture Commissioner- Secretary as the nodal officer for setting up mechanised muga silk fabric production units in the State.
According to the minutes of the meeting, the Governor put forward the suggestion to go for the green house technology for rearing muga seed cocoons when the State�s Sericulture Director R Phukan informed the members present in the meeting about the constraints of muga raw material production, mainly those of rearing the seed cocoons.
The Governor insisted on locally producing the machinery required for mechanised production of muga fabric when his attention was drawn by TDPCM Secretary Dulal Choudhury that there are huge differences in the prices of the branded machinery and the non-branded ones.
The Governor underlined the importance of the involvement of the weavers� societies in the mechanised process for muga silk fabric production and suggested that the Handloom and Textile Department should organise programmes to pass on first-hand knowledge to the members of these societies on the technology of the mechanised process. The members of these societies should be taken to the Amingaon pilot project set up for producing muga fabric through the mechanised process, the Governor said.
Director Handloom and Textile Department SK Gogoi said that there would be no problem in providing guidance to the weavers� societies.
Taking part in the discussion, Commissioner, Industries and Commerce, Rajesh Prasad suggested that the Deputy Commissioners of Lakhimpur, Jorhat and Kamrup should be involved in getting land, building, etc., under the District Development Programme.
