To help farmers transform from productive agriculture to profitable agriculture, the Department of Agriculture plans to promote precision farming practices in the district at an outlay of Rs. 18.7 lakh this financial year.
The focus will be given to encourage profitability of agriculture crops like maize, groundnut and black gram using precision farming techniques in the district on a large scale as till now such methodology was more used to improve cultivation efficiency of horticulture crops like onions, tomato and vegetables.
Precision farming is defined as information and technology based farm management system to identify, analyse and manage variability within fields for optimum profitability, sustainability and protection of land resource.
Assistant Director of Agricutulture M. Sherif told The Hindu that the project amount would be used to extend subsidy assistance to help the beneficiaries set up drip irrigation facilities and to distribute seed materials as well as water soluable fertilizers like N:P:K 19:19:19 and mono ammonium phosphate to the farmers.
The cost for building community nursery and shade nets needed to cover the saplings would also be subsidised.
The tools/techniques used under precision farming would come in handy to have uniform field stand of crops without much labour work.
This, according to agriculture officials, will be of immense help to the farmers who had been facing acute labour shortage owing to migration from agriculture to textile sector seeking better remuneration.
“The scheme will be implemented adopting cluster-based approach covering a total of 100 ha falling under Udumalpet, Pethapamppatty, Kangayam, Vellakoil and Uthukuli blocks,” agriculture officials added.
