Silk Sericulture and Mulberry Cocoon Farming of Tumkur

Tumkur district is one of Karnataka's most important silk sericulture regions, part of the broader Kolar-Ramanagara-Tumkur silk belt that makes Karnataka the largest silk producer in India. Farmers cultivate Mulberry (Morus alba) in intensively managed plots irrigated from tank and borewell water, harvesting the leaves every 30–45 days to feed silkworm (Bombyx mori) larvae in rearing houses. A single acre of mulberry supports five silkworm crops per year. The mature cocoons are sold at weekly sericultural auction markets (kambhada santhe) at Tumkur, where private and cooperative reeling units bid for fresh cocoons. Tumkur's silk farmers have adopted improved bivoltine hybrid silkworm varieties that produce higher-quality filament, fetching premium prices for raw silk.