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78
Improvement of Sericulture In Afghanistan*
Sericulture has been quite popular with Afghan farmers for many centuries despite the fact that only poor silkworm strains and primitive methods were used. In recent years some sericulture technicians from abroad were sent to the country by F. A. O. of the United Nations under the technical Assistance Programme. Beginning in 1953, modern techniques and good mulberry and worm varieties were introduced to this country where the climate and rural economical conditions proved favourable to this small industry.
The first place chosen for carrying on such work was the Province of Kataghan, because of these reasons :
(1) Communications are comparatively better than the other silk centres,
(2) Local political and economical leaders are mostly warm hearted, farsighted, and particularly interested in developing the silk industry,
(3) Modern agricultural production mills and factories are centralised in that area and other scientific improvements in agriculture have already been initiated,
(4) Necessary supply of houses, motor vehicles, electricity, materials, etc., can be easily provided.
A summary of four years' work with its preliminary results is as follows :
(1) Mulberry Plantations :
(a) Made by the Silk Co-operative Co.—A model mulberry orchard was organized in March 1953 where 5,000 trees of best varieties were imported
*Extract from a report submitted by Professor Kintson Keh, the Silk Specialist, to the Ministry of Agriculture.
Roughly two thirds of characters agree with a modern printed edition of the same text. Much of the disagreement is editorial, not misreading. Treat the transcription as a finding aid and read the page image before quoting. How this was measured.