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Six ryots implementing SRI method honoured

BERHAMPUR: Six farmers of Ganjam and Gajapati districts were honoured on Saturday by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for their successful implementation of the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) cultivation method.

They were honoured at a function held at the Regional Institute for Training and Extension (RITE) at Rangeilunda on the outskirts of the city. The Chief Minister was on a few hours’ visit to this institute and the city on Saturday morning. It may be noted that at present SRI cultivation method is being experimented as pilot project in different districts of the State to reduce the dependence of paddy cultivation on abundance of irrigation or rain.

The successful implementers of SRI cultivation in their fields who were honoured were three from Gajapati district and three from Ganjam district. The farmers from Gajapati district were Gagan Gamang of Raigada block, Baman Mandal and Laxmi Patra of Gosani block. Similarly Sudhir Kumar Raut of Kukudakhandi block, Dandapani Sahu and Santosh Kumar Panda of Rangeilunda block were the exemplary users of SRI cultivation method in Ganjam district.

Gagan Gamang said through SRI method he was able to produce 40 to 50 quintals of paddy from one acre of land without having standing water in field. Moreover the farmers did not have to use pesticides or chemical fertilisers. SRI paddy cultivation is beneficial for small and marginal farmers as it uses less water and low expenditure but provides high yield. It was developed in Madagaskar during 1980s which is being experimented throughout world. Under this method a farmer uses one tenth of the seed used in conventional cultivation. Under SRI paddy fields are never flooded. They are kept moist during the crucial phase. Later only one inch depth of water is sufficient.

At the RITE the Chief Minister also inaugurated renovated portions of the institute at a cost of Rs. 84 lakhs. The Revenue Divisional Commissioner, southern division, Satyabrata Sahu and Ganjam District Collector, V.K.Pandian handed over a day’s salary of all government employees of Ganjam district for the Chief Minister’s relief fund through a cheque for Rs. 16,40,571.

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