Shillong, May 11: Sai Lum, an eri yarn manufacturing unit, was inaugurated today by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma in Bhoirymbong, Ri-Bhoi.
Speaking during the inauguration, Sangma said Meghalaya is the second largest eri cocoon producer globally, generating approximately 700 tonnes of eri cocoon annually. However, there was a crucial gap in the value addition chain here in Meghalaya, as farmers sold their cocoons at low prices and weavers were forced to buy back the same yarn at a high cost because the critical step of spinning was happening elsewhere.
“The cocoon to yarn gap has been the single biggest constraint in our eri silk value chain,” the CM said, adding that entrepreneurship enterprises like Sai Lum will bridge cocoon production and yarn production.
Ri-Bhoi is the epicentre of silk production in the state with nearly 7,900 silkworm rearers and 4,760 weavers but Sangma said that returns have not matched the effort and he highlighted the government’s endeavour in building the silk sector of the state.
Sai Lum is the vision of a young local entrepreneur, Wallambok Pyngrope. The total project cost is Rs 1.20 crore with support from PRIME Meghalaya and from NECTAR besides the entrepreneur’s own investment. The unit has a spinning capacity of 25-30kg of quality eri yarn per day with 7.5 tonnes of yarn annually.
The unit procures eri cocoons directly from local farmers at fair, stable prices, a government press release stated, eliminating the uncertainty farmers have lived with for years. It also processes cocoons into quality eri yarn and supplies it affordably to local weaving clusters, reducing the input burden on weavers and stabilising pricing across the value chain, lowering dependence on middlemen and outside procurement.
