Silkworm breeder Zhu Huangyi, who lost two-thirds of his production due to floods, at his premises in Sancun village, Yingde, in the Chinese province of Guangdong, on April 25, 2024 (AFP/Hector RETAMAL)
Jet of water in hand, Zhu Huangyi, 40, cleans the small concrete room where his silkworms grew, two-thirds of which were washed away by the floods hitting southern China.
A two-hour drive north of the Guangzhou metropolis, the village of Sancun, located in the middle of lush subtropical vegetation, was one of the most affected by the recent bad weather.
Although the water level has dropped significantly in the town, it has reached two meters in places, with significant consequences for the approximately 3,000 inhabitants of the area.
Because around a quarter of households make a living from breeding silkworms, these insects which secrete the precious fiber used in the textile industry.
A farmer inspects a field of white mulberry trees, used for breeding silkworms, damaged by floods in the village of Sancun, in Yingde, in the Chinese province of Guangdong, April 25, 2024 (AFP/Hector RETAMAL)
“We placed the worms high up but that wasn’t enough,” Zhu Huangyi told AFP, showing on his smartphone his cocoons floating on the surface of the water, which reached 1.80 meters at his home.
“Obviously, it hurts my heart to see his production leave like that. Because it’s an old family business, my mother got into this 30 years ago,” says the breeder, already a victim of a flood in 2022.
– No insurance –
Behind him, his mother, Huang Xiuying, scatters white detergent powder on the concrete floor of the enclosures to disinfect the area.
“After receiving the weather alert, we continued to feed our worms. We couldn’t face reality,” she explains.
Lan Zhukui cleans the mud from the warehouse where his silkworm farm was located, in the village of Sancun, in Yingde, in the Chinese province of Guangdong, April 25, 2024 (AFP/Hector RETAMAL)
Breeders sell their worms in the cocoon state, for around 40 to 50 yuan per kilo (between 5.15 and 6.44 euros).
Zhu Huangyi was able to save a third of his cocoons.
“After the flood, prices fell. We were still able to sell those that remained at 34 yuan (4.38 euros) per kilo,” he explains.
A way to limit the damage, because like most of the inhabitants of the village, he had not taken out any insurance.
“Basically, it will cause us 40,000 to 50,000 yuan in economic losses,” he explains, or between approximately 5,150 and 6,440 euros, a large sum in rural China.
“The other problem is our mulberry trees,” adds Zhu Huangyi, while all the village breeders’ plants have been flooded.
– “We’re used to it!” –
However, silkworms feed exclusively on mulberry leaves, which are now unusable. Without food, they cannot survive.
A farmer inspects a field of white mulberry trees, used for breeding silkworms, damaged by floods in the village of Sancun, in Yingde, in the Chinese province of Guangdong, April 25, 2024 (AFP/Hector RETAMAL)
Only solution: cut the heads of the plants once the water level has returned to normal, then wait about two weeks for usable leaves to grow back.
Only afterwards will farmers be able to buy new silkworm eggs to replenish their breeding stock.
Zhu Huangyi estimates the amount he will have to pay to buy some at 5,000 yuan (640 euros).
Close to home, Lan Zhukui, another breeder, is less fortunate.
Lan Zhukui cleans the mud from the warehouse where his silkworm farm was located, in the village of Sancun, in Yingde, in the Chinese province of Guangdong, April 25, 2024 (AFP/Hector RETAMAL)
“I lost all my cocoons, around 150 kg”, with a market value of around 6,000 yuan (770 euros), he explains to AFP while cleaning the floor of his enclosure.
“There’s not much to do at the moment except wait at home.”
In her breeding, Ms. Huang also wants to be a philosopher.
“We’re used to it!” she exclaims, speaking of the floods.
“But it’s true that before, we were flooded every 8-10 years. Now, it’s more like every two years.”
© 2024 AFP
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