The cultivation of silkworm to produce silk, or sericulture, has become a lucrative industry in the city of Bijie in China’s southwest Guizhou province. About 40 people work at a sericulture cooperative, each earning a monthly salary of up to 4,000 yuan (US$593). In efforts to develop the region's silkworm breeding industry, 120 hectares (297 acres) of land have been set aside by the government for growing mulberry trees, the only source of food for silkworms.