The Cocoon industry; Maryam has provided 750 job opportunities

Dehqan Weekly / Mina Afsari
With due attention to conventional nature of most of people in Herat province and insecurity in villages of this province, the field of development and fame for young rural girls is very less. Maryam Sheikh is one of these girls, who is Living in Zandijan district of the province. She was not even imagining that one day she would become this much famous and prosperous.
The above-mentioned individual “Maryam” has been able to provide occupation opportunities to 750 women in Zandijan district and develop the lives of herself and other women by little investment and collecting donations from various institutions. She is has been an instance of a brave and proactive girl, who has been able to flourish the cocoon industry in this district and motivate plenty women to this industry, she has done all these by having plenty efforts.
She said, “Most of her employees are housewives, they are women who have learned how to care for and nurture silkworms from her and are now dealing and working in this field.”
Maryam says that it has been five years since has been in-charge of overseeing women’s economical activities in Zandijan district and has established a private company to grow the cocoon industry. The economic activity of women in field of silkworm breeding are managed by this private company. Every year, in order to grow this industry and upgrade the profit of his company, she prepares silkworm boxes from the Directorate of Agriculture of Herat province and non-governmental organizations and make them available to her employees.
"My goal in starting this company was to grow the cocoon industry and raise the level of my economy, my family and a number of other women so that I could serve those women who can do something," said Maryam. According to her, she has been familiar with the industry since childhood and has received basic training from her family members who had been working in this field.
She said,” Herat Directorate of Agriculture has upgraded our work capacity by launching training classes for women in field of silkworm maintenance and has increased the women passion in this field.”
Ms. Shaikh has also recently established a silk weaving workshop in Zandijan district, where ten women are engaged in production of colorful silk fabrics on a daily basis. She added that her net income from the two workshops is more than 15,000 AFN in a month.
Ms. Shaikh hopes to expand her work. She emphasizes that most women in rural areas are suffering from a lack of employment opportunities, and is struggling and focusing to provide this employment opportunities for them. According to Maryam by engaging in economic activities, women can contribute to raising the economic level of their families.
Meanwhile, Herat officials Directorate of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock further said that the directorate has given out 5,000 boxes of silkworms in the province, 85% of which have been given out to the residents of Zandijan district this year
Bashir Ahmad Ahmadi, provincial directorate of Agriculture of Herat says that 90 percent of the worm's producers are women.
Silkworm has the highest production in Injil, Guzara, Zandijan and Pashtun Zarghun districts of Herat province and Zandijan district is the most important silkworm breeding center in the province due to its many berry trees.
Silkworm breeding is one of the oldest industries in the country, which has been traditionally promoted, especially in Herat province, and interest in its breeding is increasing. It should be said that on average, each box of silkworm produces about 32 kilograms of cocoons and each four kilograms is sold for between one thousand and one thousand and 300 AFN.