by Burak Akinci
ANKARA, July 2 (Xinhua) -- In a small village tucked away 200 km west of Ankara, residents use traditional methods to breed silkworms for fiber, their primary source of income.
In special rooms of old houses of Ericek village, silkworms are fed mulberry leaves and will transform into cocoons after four stages of growth. The cocoons, rich with potential, will eventually be spun into shimmering silk threads.
Enver Deliktas, the 61-year-old head of Ericek and a seasoned silkworm producer, explained that the final harvest typically occurs in late June and early July. The cocoons are then sold to the local cooperative.
"This work needs skill, dedication, and patience because the silkworm is a very delicate insect," he said.
"There are feeding houses in each house of the small village of just over a hundred souls, and this ancestral tradition is the main income of families," Deliktas said.
Silk production, once widespread across central, northwestern, and southern Türkiye in the 1940s, has been declining. Ericek stands out as one of the few remaining bastions of traditional sericulture, a practice with a 1,500-year history in the region, dating back to the Ottoman Empire.
Türkiye is located on the ancient Silk Road, and silk products from China entered the country millennia ago. Clothes made of silk were considered a luxury reserved for sultans and nobles.
"When I was a small boy, I used to feed mulberry leaves to silkworms, and so did my father. This is a tradition in this village," Serhan Akin, the biggest producer of Ericek, said to Xinhua.
"Young folks have migrated to big cities. The elderly usually maintain the silkworm business, our mainstay," he explained.
Despite the challenges, Ericek produces over 2 tons of cocoons annually. A single cocoon can yield a staggering 1.5 km of silk filament, which is then combined to form a usable thread, according to Akin.
"This process requires meticulous attention to detail," Akin emphasized. "The mulberry leaves must be chemical-free, and the larvae are incredibly selective feeders -- mulberry leaves are their only sustenance."
Türkiye's climate offers a distinct advantage for mulberry growth, presenting an opportunity for sericulture. According to figures from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Türkiye exports an average of 28 tons of dry cocoons annually, with Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, and Poland serving as the primary export destinations.
While raw silk exports have dipped noticeably, with a decline exceeding 30 percent between 2015 and 2020, around 2,000 Turkish farmers continue the tradition across various districts.
Ericek, however, has bucked the trend. Akin acknowledges a slight decrease due to this year's hot weather, but production remains largely stable.
From cultivating mulberry leaves to meticulously unwinding cocoons and weaving the threads, the intricate and time-honored practice is deeply woven into the fabric of Ericek village life.
"Silkworm rearing is part of our daily life, our culture," he added. ■
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