Farmers should take up paddy cultivation under the system of rice intensification (SRI) method to get high yield than the conventional transplantation system of cultivation and also switch over to the latest technology of farm mechanisation, said P. Murugesa Boopathy, Vice-Chancellor of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, on Tuesday.
Inaugurating the Technology Week-2009 celebrations at Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) in Sirugamani village in Tiruchi district, the Vice-Chancellor said that about 12 to 14 tonnes of paddy yield per hectare could be achieved under the SRI method of cultivation against about 6.50 tonnes per hectare under the traditional system of transplantation. The cost of cultivation will be cheap under the SRI method and the requirement of water for irrigation would be one-third than the conventional method, he said.
Dr. Boopathy said that farm mechanisation was the need of the hour due to shortage of labour during the peak cultivation season and explained in detail the various farm implements including power tiller, transplanter, weed remover, harvester, etc that were now available to the farmers with subsidy.
The Vice-Chancellor said that he would take steps to ensure that the labour-oriented National Rural Employment Guarantee (NREG) scheme works would benefit the agricultural workers without any hindrance to agricultural activities. He also explained in detail about the Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) schemes.
He pointed out that he would also take steps with the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) for enhancing the allowance for the training conducted by the Farmers Training Centres (FTCs).
Dr. Boopathy appreciated the Krishi Vigyan Kendra at Sirugamani for getting the best KVK award in the State for the second consecutive year and also praised the Agriculture Department for its service at the soil testing centres in various parts of the State.
The Vice-Chancellor who visited the exhibition stalls put up by the Sugarcane Research Station, fish breeding by the Tiruchi training and research centre of the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) and also by the manufacturers of farm equipments and machines including power tiller, weed remover, paddy and sugarcane transplanter, paddy harvester, drip irrigation system, water soluble fertilisers, etc.
S. Prabhu Kumar, Zonal Project Director of ICAR, Bangalore, in his special address, explained the functioning of the Krishi Vigyan Kendras and the achievement under precision farming.
Earlier, S.P. Ramanathan, Professor and Head of KVK, Sirugamani, explained the activities of the KVK and also the services rendered to the farming community. P. Kalaiselvan, Director of Extension Education, TNAU, Coimbatore, C.Jayaraman, Director of Soil and Crop Management, TNAU, Coimbatore, Banumathi, principal of Home Science College and Research Centre, Madurai, N. Ponnuswamy, Joint Director of Agriculture, D.Packia Raj, Professor and Head, Sugarcane Research Station, Sirugamani and others spoke.
A large number of progressive farmers from various parts of Tiruchi district attended the meeting.
