The
Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Vincent Bamulangaki
Ssempijja has launched Iran Agro-industrial Group in Kisozi-Gomba District.
The company which was established by an Iranian Investor, Seyed Muhammed is
dealing in silkworm rearing which he {Seyed} says will fetch the country
billions of money within few years to come.
The Minister was accompanied by officials from the Entomology department of the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry
Fisheries, and he launched the company in presence of the Ambassador of the
Islamic Republic of Iran to Uganda, Seyed morteza.
What are silkworms?
These are commercially bred caterpillars of the
domesticated silk moth ( Bombyx mori ), which spins a silk cocoon that is
processed to yield silk fibre to make fabrics.
Some of the uses of silkworms are;
1. Manufacturers use silkworms’ cocoons to produce
silk. A silkworm’s cocoon consists of a single thread of silk that stretches to
a length of 1,000 to 3,000 feet when unraveled. A pound of raw silk requires
the use of 2,000 to 3,000 cocoons and the world’s silk manufacturers produce
approximately 70 million pounds of raw silk each year.
2. Scientists use silkworms in the study of pheromones,
hormones, brain structure and physiology. They also use them in studies on
genetics and genetic engineering. Some of these studies aim to produce
silkworms that can feed on substances other than mulberry leaves. Other studies
seek to engineer silkworms that produce proteins other than those found in
silk. These proteins would be intended for use in various human medicines.
3. Members of some cultures eat the silkworm pupae.
Koreans create a snack food out of the pupae by boiling them in water and then
seasoning them. This creates a food called beondegi.
4. Chinese use the dried bodies of silkworms to
produce a medicine intended to relieve flatulence and bodily spasms as well as
dissolve phlegm.
