Monday, November 30, 2015

Embossed pearls catch farmers’ fancy in Karnataka


Did you know that it is possible to get an image or design of your choice embossed on pearls while they are being formed in the oysters? Well, “image pearl farming” is all about such a delicate process which has been picked up by several enterprising farmers in Karnataka.
In fact, Karnataka is slowly trying to gain a foothold in this highly skilled process in the last two-and-a-half years with a substantial number of farmers getting trained in freshwater image pearl farming.
Pearls are nothing but a natural secretion called nacre deposited over months by oysters. These farmers carefully implant moulds of images/designs made out of bio-compatible material inside the shells of oysters to shape the formation of the pearl.
Delicate process
B.V. Krishnamurthy, an associate professor in the Fisheries Department of the University of Agricultural Sciences-Bengaluru that trains the farmers in image pearl farming, explains that the process starts by procuring oysters from different States.
Oysters can be easily transported as they can live without water for three days. After acclimatising the oysters to the local conditions for about two months, the farmers carefully open up their shells with sophisticated instruments and implant the moulds of images. After the implant, the oysters are allowed to recuperate for about a week in aerated condition before releasing them into ponds.
It would take about nine months for the image/design pearls to emerge after the implantation. The image pearls will be recovered by cutting open the shells, says Dr. Krishnamurthy, who co-ordinates a course under which about 300 farmers have been trained in the last two-and-a-half years.
Good income
Vasudevapppa Raju, one of the pioneering image pearl farmers in Karnataka, says he produces about 1,500 such pearls a year from one acre of land near Kanakapura.
“I sell them at a rate of Rs. 500 to 700 a piece. We can get more money if we convert them into pendants with gold or silver covering,” he says. He earns about Rs. 5 lakh from pearl farming on one-acre land.
D. Seenappa, head of the Fisheries Department of UAS-B, suggests that pearl farming be integrated with fish rearing.
This would help increase the incomes of farmers, he points out.
While 300 farmers have been trained, only about 40 farmers have been seriously practising image pearl farming as it is a highly skilled job, notes Dr. Krishnamurthy.

Source : The Hindu 

No comments:

Post a Comment