The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Transplanter is a boon

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Tuesday, Jun 10, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Transplanter is a boon

G. Srinivasan

With acute labour shortage, Thanjavur farmers go for it

HIGHLY USEFUL: A farmer demonstrating transplanting of paddy seedlings using a transplanter at Rajendram in Thanjavur district.

THANJAVUR: Necessity is the mother of invention. With acute labour shortage, farmers of Thanjavur are going for farm mechanisation. They have taken to System Rice Intensification (SRI) technique to reduce water demand. In that method, they are now employing transplanters. This helps them to overcome the labour shortage.

Gopaldas, a farmer of Rajendram near Thiruvaiyaru in the district, has purchased a Korean transplanter at a cost of Rs.2.4 lakh. The 175-kg transplanter is easy to handle as the farmer has to push it using hands to transplant paddy seedlings.

He demonstrated the transplantation at his field on Saturday.

According to him, Madagascar method of nursery should be raised for planting under the SRI method.

In this, a mat is used to spread soil and seeds sowed on this. The seedlings which are 15 days old can be plucked like a mat.

The cake like seedlings are put in a row in the transplanter. Fertilizer Di Ammonium Phosphate is sprayed in the seedling mat. By doing so fertilizer is also applied at the root of the seedlings while planting and the quantity is also reduced.

“We can apply fertilizer, which is normally used to apply for one acre, to three acres of land in this method,” Mr. Gopaldas explained.

After putting the seedling mat in the transplanter, it is pushed in the field and the seedlings are planted providing good space, superficially and with application of fertilizer.

Transplantation using the transplanter is less costly compared to manual transplantation. Under mechanisation, the cost is Rs.1,900 per acre.

In the case of manual transplantation the cost is Rs.3,310 per acre.

Mr. Gopaldas said that labour shortage was very acute and farmers had to suffer because of this.

“We are not able to transplant crops and harvest them in time, owing to labour shortage. Even if we are ready to pay more, people are not coming. In such a situation farm mechanisation is the only option before us. The Government should provide subsidy for purchase of farm implements. The Government has announced a subsidy of Rs.30,000 for the transplanter. It should increase the subsidy,” he said.

Karmugilan, Joint Director of Agriculture, Senthamizhselvan, Deputy Director of Agriculture, T.K.G. Neelamegam, a progressive farmer, participated in the demonstration.

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