LOCAL SILK yarn production is not enough to meet the needs of weavers around the country, especially with the renewed appreciation for indigenous designs. “Right now, the silk yarn that we are producing cannot meet the demand of the weavers, that is why we are encouraging more farmers to venture in this production,” Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (PhilFIDA)-Western Visayas Regional Director Evelyn B. Cagasan said in a recent interview as they announced a pioneering project in Lambunao.

Members of the Champion Farmers Program (CFP) of Lambunao are the first in Iloilo province to have been trained and assisted for the establishment of mulberry production sites for sericulture or silk farming.

The farmers were supported by the Japanese Organization for Industrial, Spiritual, Cultural Advancement (OISCA), a non-government group, and PhilFIDA.

“We expressed our interest for the project so OISCA tapped us to be one of the beneficiaries,” CFP Executive Director Ariel Lastica said.

The project was formalized through a memorandum of agreement in June 2019 involving the Lambunao local government, CFP, OISCA and PhilFIDA.

Five CFP members have since gone to Bago City in Negros Occidental, where OISCA’s filature plant is located, to undergo an orientation on sericulture as well as training on silk cocoon production.

They have already started trial production with thousands of silkworms, and have so far harvested seven kilograms of Class A cocoons.

“The production of cocoons is dependent on the mulberry leaves. Without the mulberry, we cannot produce high quality cocoons,” Mr. Lastica said.

Mulberry leaves are fed to the silkworms whose cocoons are made of silk.

Ms. Cagasan said one of the factors for choosing Lambunao was the soil quality, which is suitable for growing mulberry.

“We provided planting materials for the mulberry and technical assistance to increase their production for the rearing of silkworms in collaboration with OISCA,” she said.

The biggest production center for mulberry and silk cocoon production in Western Visayas is in Bago City and, together with Ibajay town in Aklan, the region’s total silk yarn production is about 89 kilograms annually.

Ms. Cagasan said the demand of local weavers is at least 150 kilograms per year.

“The filature plant in Negros Occidental reels the harvested cocoon produced by the farmers into silk yarn. We then supply it to local weavers in Manila and Mindanao,” she said.

The PhilFIDA official also said there is an untapped export market, particularly Japan, which the Philippines could take advantage of if it produced more silk. — Emme Rose S. Santiagudo

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