The purpose of this study was to suggest a strategy in the development of integrated functional sericulture production program to promote and create a new value-added industry, being essential based on the analysis of current industry status.
Recently, silk farming trends are to be changed from silk production to functional production, 'Functional silk farming production promotion and assistant ACT', which has been enacted and effective since 2009, provides an environment to create the integrated functional sericulture production program.
The definition of functional silk farming is the production of silk worm, mulberry, cocoon or other additional produces (including processed material) under the presidential decrees to be used as foods or ingredients which is beneficial for human - The promotion of integrated silk farming industry plan is for 5 years between 2011 and 2015.
The total silk farming industry reduced continuously last decades. Mulberry growers and the planted area, however, has increased since 2008. Based on statistics, the numbers of sericulture growers are 6,549 and the total area of mulberry planted is 2,207ha in 2009, increased by 29.5% and 14.5% respectively compared to 2005.
Silk farming has a potential to grow although it lags to other industries. The value of silk worm production in 2009 was ?43.4 billion won, compared to that, other fruit industries gained 4 - 16 times higher. Mulberry harvest shows higher economic value of 20 to 100% per unit production than other produces, silk worm earns between 50 and 250% more income compared to others, it might higher regarding the production cycle of 2 months. The processed materials including mulberry leaves, mulberry powder, silk-worm powder as functional ingredients or health foods will add up the economic value to the law material between 1.21 and 6.17 times higher if it sells a low price and between 2.33 and 12.67 times higher if it sells a prime price.
Reviewing the current status and issues in sericulture in each area; poor production infra and facilities resulted the lower productivity such as the degraded mulberry orchard and difficulty in mechanized production, unreliable seedling production and supply chain often resulted in poor quality seedlings, difficulties in orchard management (weeding 35.8%, harvesting; 27.4%, high cost of chemical fertilizer; 24.9%), deteriorated indoor sericulture facilities and lack of tools and equipment, difficulties in silk worm feeding (major problems are collecting the silk worms 34.3%, loan for silk worm eggs 30.3%, freeze drying 17.8%) etc.
Problems in post-harvest storage, processing and marketing area; in terms of management, products trading is problematic, the problems are trade system (trade problem 61.4%, lack of labor 30.0%, lack of processing facilities 3.6%). The loose relationship or lower levels in systematic organization between growers, processors and retailers towards sericulture products and processing (self-trading 77.6%, sericulture local co-operation or federation trade 18.2%, selling to processors 2.2%). The priorities in refurbishment of sericulture production and processing facilities are freezers 61.5%, indoor sericulture maintenance 21.2%, processing equipments 12.7%, The problems in mulberry trade are storage 57.9%, processing techniques (19.9%) and marketing and trading (14.0%).
The major problems of silk farming products trading, exporting and merchandised promoting are; quality and safety standards are not clear enough, high cost and complex procedure towards compliance in functional health foods, lack of production infra and processing technologies to cope with the overseas buyers order, incidents of false and puffery advertising by using the functional benefits of sericulture products.
In terms of farm management and farm income, the silk farming is easily treated as a fringe income source because other incomes are normally bigger, some silk farming items are threatened to be disintegrated due to far too low income compared to other higher income items, the high income earners in silk farming growers are still minor, some rare cases are fringe income basis and overall growers have relatively lower income compared to other crops, the numbers of silk farming growers tend to reduce year by year.
In research and development area, limitations in developing cooperative research works between RDA and other organizations in order to enhance high-tech in new material and bio-engineering area, lacks of researches for standardization, commercialization and high quality maintenance of functional sericulture products, sluggish industrial transfer or lack of applied researches such as pharmaceutical new-material development, insufficient developing a new variety, breeding program and innovative culturing method according to functional products and aging growers.
Combined industries; lacks of specialties in its own business condition, lacks of specialization and differentiation between different regions; lacks of systematic organization in regional clusters and specialty complex and weakness in professionalism.
In the area of organization and labor force; none of special staffs and divisions, who are in charge of silkworm farming at the central government and local government; lacks of division role and functional activation from members of Korea Sericulture Association (KSA); the shortages of labor, silkworm experts, and young silkworm farmer as a result of aged silkworm farmers (The owners who are over 60 years old are in 72% of silkworm farm and 55% of mulberry farm respectively and there are no young farmers 74.4%)); no education or training program for experts and managers.
In terms of international cooperation, world silkworm market has been affected by China. For overseas market, it is necessary to find out acceptable quality levels in silkworm, and cocoons, conditions of silkworm farming infra such as labor, mulberry field and silkworm raising room and possibility of business success in advance.
The vision of long term plan for silkworm business is 'to be a higher value-added business by functional silkworm in agriculture area'. The goals of silkworm business are; Market volume of silkworm product is to be increased from ?50 billion won (2010) to ?200billion won (2015); Safety in silkworm products and high quality; Stabilization of silkworm farming management and income (Farming average income is to increased to ?1.5million won (twice higher than 2010), the number of high annual farm income level of ?100 million won will be increase from 55 farms to 110 farms.
The main methods to attain the goals are; 1) encouraging consumption of mulberry and mulberry leaves; diversifying processed products; 2) extending certification of functional health foods made from the silkworm powder and cocoons; 3) active promotion and advertisement; 4) early practical use and branding of technology development in artificial eardrum and bone.
Development strategies of silkworm industry are; 1) to promote a high value-added business of silkworm 2) to maintain the traditional industry 3) to increase farm income and activate local economy.
The key business will be proceed based on importance, urgency, regional silkworm characteristics and outstanding.
The program principal groups and methodologies in production-processing-trading are to be aided by groups organizations. The aided parties are to be selected through particular review and evaluation according to their abilities in business management, sustainability, securing fund and land, industry infra and facilities and labor force etc. This special promotion in the selection and assist methodology should be focused on the groups have strong autonomous intentions and independent characters in order to increase responsibility and efficiency.
For improvement of production infra and facilities in silkworm industry including; 1) mechanized mulberry orchard with elimination of man power; 2) assist to build a new silkworm raising room and remodel old ones; 3) breeding and propagation of superior silkworm eggs; 4) selection of superior mulberry seedlings and build a well organized supply chain system; 5) production and supply of main sericulture equipment and elimination of man power.
To achieve improvement of storage, processing and marketing; 1) organization and scale improvement through local production and distribution center; 2) guarantee a stable income and increase income through various trade routes; 3) improvement of aged low temperature storage processing facilities and extension of the facilities.
For improvement of consumption, export and advertisement; 1) quality improvement and diversification of silkworm products pioneered new processing technology; 2) study of new product based on consumer preference and marketing strategy; 3) extension of certified functional food items; 4) establishment of export system and official contract standard nationwide; 5) reinforcement in sale promotion and advertisement activity by using industry-promoted levy.
The improvement of farm management and income is; 1) to ease of entry barrier for apprentice and to promote hosting the new growers and; 2) to bring up expert growers groups.
The research and development area is; 1) to be considered such projects of; developing environment-friendly grocery products by using functional silk; 2) health and functional food registration and pharmaceutical use of sericulture products; 3) promotion of mulberry as an environment-friendly high income crop, developing a new-concept medicine against obesity by using silk worm.
The improvement on combining intra industries is including to promote and enhance environment-friendly sustainable farming related to local characteristics, to develop local food menus, eco-tour experience, green rural tourism by using sericulture products.
The improvement of organization and labor is to enhance the sericulture specialized experts and departments in central and local government and to enhance the sericulture technology extension and expert training program.
The improvement of international cooperation is to select a proper site for sericulture based on the site information such as the physical environment condition and economic situation in targeting developing countries; and to study of possibility of inter-Korean sericulture business in case of unification of south and north Korea.
The priority in the industry improvement is: to overcome difficulties in industrial work place; to create possibility in promoting demands; and in terms of a high value-added production, to produce a high quality of sericulture products with a safe mode, to improve production infra and to expand demands.
For these tasks, firstly, improvement of storage/processing facilities and modernization of silkworm raising room are urgent. Secondly, supplying quality mulberry seedlings and silk worm variety through cooperative and collective system are essential to produce high quality sericulture products (silk worm and cocoon), promotion plans of young sericulture growers who are going to be actively involved in the sericulture are critical.
Ongoing projects which should continue with a short-term and long/mid-term point of views are continuous promotion and advertisement, development of consumer oriented products, commercialization of research findings about silk worm and silk products, restless research and development of higher value-added sericulture products.
The highly expected aspects as the results of sericulture innovation projects are firstly, creating a 'blue ocean' market which is initiated by the sericulture industry as for a new growth engine. It will be a higher value-added, environment-friendly industry, growing up to ?200 billion won market including pharmaceutical and medicinal materials, green growth and environment-friendly combined industrial impacts.
Secondly, revitalizing the sericulture products consumption and its confidentiality. It will be possibly achieved by acquiring the compliance of the standard sericulture products as for functional healthy foods which is critical to attain the public reliability, by active advertisement and publication. Invigorating the consumption of sericulture related products by developing consumer-oriented high quality, safe and reliable functional products which are produced through modernized processing process and production.
Thirdly, enhancement of the role and autonomy of the principal bodies and organizations related to sericulture industry so that the followings can be achieved: Efficient sericulture production through promoting expert growers groups; Greatening and stabilizing income through larger scaled, specialized production system; Securing a supply of the high quality raw materials, Increasing professionalism in product commercialization and trade, Minimizing the cost and Maximizing the value-added process and production through growers-processors-traders organic solidarity. Finally, the sericulture clusters will contribute to activate the industry and to greaten the local economy, creating the synergy effects originated from the functionally specialized and reinforced relation between central government, local government, research centers and sericulture association.
Researchers: Kyung Phil Kim, Ho-seok Han
Research period: 2010. 3. - 2010. 8.
E-mail address: kkphil@krei.re.kr