Career as a Sericulturist

The rearing of silkworms is a rare sight these days. A sericulturist career involves the rearing of silkworms to produce raw silk and silk yarns. For meeting the demands of the apparel industry, this industry needs to put in a lot of effort to produce raw silk. Silk production is quite a tedious effort; however, it has made some of the efficient processes involved with the help of the advancements made in technology.

Who is a Sericulturist?

Sericulturists is a profession that deals with the rearing of silkworms. It is a field where the scope for employment in the government and private sector is high. India is a major producer of raw silk and contributes to 60% of the world's annual production. This raw silk is further processed into silk clothes and products.

A sericulturist is involved in every step, from cultivating and rearing silkworms on plant leaves to extracting raw silk fibres from them. It also includes activities related to silk cultures like mulberry cultivation and even post-cocoon technology. The duties of a sericulturist include building and maintaining rearing houses for silkworms, choosing the correct plant variety for silkworms, raising the silkworm from the larval stage to the cocoon stage, applying appropriate pesticides, extracting the raw silk fibres from the silkworms, and spinning them.

Sericulturist Job Roles

Sericulturists focus on planning, organizing, and performing various operations that enhance breeding, raising insects like honey bees, silkworms, and other related species that produce silk, beeswax, and other products.

These are a few job roles that candidates pursuing a career in silk rearing can apply for.

• Sericulturist
• Sericulture Researcher
• Sericulture Professor

Sericulturist

Sericulturist is the most common profession pursued by candidates entering the silk industry. The duties typically involve cultivating the plants, rearing silkworms, and analyzing various stages of silkworms like young larvae to cocoon with proper care. A fresh graduate needs to undergo appropriate training in silkworm rearing before they become a professional sericulturist. 

Sericulture Researcher

Sericulture Researcher works with the central or state institutes to perform research and development associated with the industry. Besides, they may also seek exposure from the professionals working in India's Research & Development department. Graduates applying for this position should hold a PhD degree in Sericulture or equivalent.

Sericulture Professor

Sericulture professors are instructors who have years of experience working in this industry. They are hired by colleges and universities to teach courses related to agriculture. A graduate wanting to pursue a career as a sericulture professor needs to have a Master's degree in Sericulture or a related field.

Sericulturist Employment Opportunities

Sericulturists fall under the category of primary activities. They usually find employment in sectors like government and research development centres.

Below are some of the popular employment sectors.

• Government organizations
• Private firms
• Private agencies
• Academic institutes
• Research institutes

Below are the top recruiting organizations,

• Central Sericultural Research and Training
• Central Silk Board
• Handloom, Handicrafts, Textiles, & Khadi Departments
• Indian Silk Export Promotion Council

Sericulturist Salary in India

A sericulturist is majorly involved in the rearing process. However, they can take up different jobs relating to their field. A sericulturist can expect a starting salary of INR 15,000 per month in public or government organizations, while private organizations might pay a little higher. The salary range for most sericulturists ranges between INR 10,520 per month to INR 39,777 per month.

Below are the basic to highest salaries offered to a sericulturist.

Sericulturist Salary

Sericulturist	Salary (Per Annum)
Basic Salary	INR 1.8 Lakh
Average Salary	INR 3.6 Lakh
Highest Salary	More than INR 5 Lakh

Sericulturists Eligibility Criteria

To be a sericulturist, an individual must be physically fit to perform more manual work. A sericulturist with more than five years of experience can earn a better income. Certain eligibility criteria must be fulfilled to become a professional sericulturist.

Below are the eligibility criteria to be fulfilled to become a sericulturist.

• For certificate courses in Sericulture, a student needs to clear class 10th from a recognized board.
• For a degree course, a student needs to clear class 12th from a recognized board.
• Students need to clear class 12th from the science stream with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology subjects.
• A student needs to have an undergraduate degree in B.Sc Sericulture or other agriculture-related courses.
• After completion, they can pursue a postgraduate degree in M.Sc Sericulture or other agriculture-related courses.
• There is also immense scope for research and development in this field to obtain a PhD.

Sericulturists Qualifications

Other than academic qualifications, a sericulturist must have strong subject knowledge. The primary qualification is knowledge of the silkworm's growth cycle and cultivating different plants used to feed the silkworms.

Below are the other key competencies in qualifications that are expected from a professional.

• Knowledge about leaf harvesting techniques.
• Knowledge about the temperature and humidity levels required to be maintained for the rearing process and in the rearing houses
• Knowledge of the nutrient requirements of silkworms
• They should be skilled with tools used in rearing.
• Knowledge of hygiene maintenance procedures and disinfectants
• Familiar with the spinning process using the raw silk harvested.

Skills Required to be a Sericulturist

Sericulturists do a job that is tedious and has a meticulous process. The basic skills required are physical and mental fitness.

Other skills that professionals must have are mentioned below.

• Manual and finger dexterity
• Hand steadiness
• Good eyesight
• Attention to detail
• Physically and mentally fit
• Patience
• Stamina 
• Concentration

Duties of Sericulturist

Sericulturists monitor market activities by analyzing and determining the insect products to produce, plan, and coordinate production.

Listed below are the key roles and responsibilities of a sericulturist.

• Breed, raise, and tend insects and collect their products.
• Purchase or grow feeds and other supplies from insects and for the insects.
• Maintain storage and carry out the process of production.
• Sericulturists also arrange the sale, purchase, and transportation of stocks by maintaining and evaluating supplies and its records of farming activities.

Sericulture Courses

The courses offered in Sericulture focus on the different forms of Sericulture. The study majorly revolves around an introduction to silk farming, different silkworm species, mulberry cultivation and crop production, and silkworm rearing and processing.

Below are various courses offered with course fees and course duration.

Sericulture Courses in India

Name of the Course	Course Fees	Course Duration
B.Sc Sericulture	Up to INR 1.44 Lakhs	3 Years
M.Sc Sericulture	Up to INR 1 Lakhs	2 Years
M.Phil Sericulture	Up to INR 1 Lakhs	2 Years
PhD in Sericulture	Varies Based on University	3 Years
Diploma in Sericulture	INR 2000 to INR 5000	6 Months
Certificate in Sericulture	INR 5000 to INR 10,000	1 Year

Top Colleges to Pursue Sericulture

Various bachelor's and master's degrees are offered in sericulture and agriculture courses in the recognized Indian universities and colleges.

Below are the top colleges or universities to take sericulture courses.

• Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore
• Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi
• Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh
• Directorate of Distance Education, Madurai Kamaraj University
• Forest College and Research Institute, Mettupalayam
• University of Agricultural Sciences - UAS Bangalore, Bangalore
• Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow
• University of Delhi, New Delhi
• Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat
• Central Sericultural Research and Training Institute, Mysore

Scope of Sericulture in India

After the serious efforts of researchers of R&D, Sericulture has been turned into an industry and became a major cash crop in India. However, Sericulture is based on agricultural output, specifically with cocoons and cottage-based labor-intensive.

A graduate can take the job as a sericulturist or a supervisor in various government sericulture units. However, the candidates who completed their apprenticeship training or inter-vocational course can apply for farm technicians. In addition, the graduates can also take job roles like research officer, assistant director, and project manager positions in the sericulture industry.