A Current Perspective on Silkworm Breeding: The Case of Diyarbakır Silvan

Abstract

Although silk has a very low share in textile use in the world, it is an important trade product. However, few countries have a say in production and export. Despite the efforts to boost silkworm breeding, which is seen as a traditional activity for Turkey, it has not reached the level of the past years. In the current study, a general evaluation of the world and Turkey silkworm breeding was made and the example of Silvan district of Diyarbakır province was given to reveal the current situation of the country. For this purpose, a survey was conducted with seven people who continue production in the district, 46 people who stopped production and 49 people who did not produce. As a result of the surveys, it was determined that the majority (85.72) of those who continue production are farmers and there are no female producers among them, while 65.22 percent of those who have quit production have stopped after more than 10 years of production. It was determined that more than half (55.10%) of those who had not produced before had information about silkworm breeding and only 24.49% of them would be able to produce even if the conditions were suitable. With the evaluations made with the Silvan sample, it is concluded that there is a need for planning that will provide employment in rural areas and revitalise breeding in today's conditions where the production tendency has decreased.