The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University’s Sugarcane Research Station at Sirugamani near Tiruchi has shown a successful experiment of cultivating fodder ‘veli masal’ and marketing it to needy livestock owners.
‘Veli masal’ accounts for a large amount of nutrient and livestock particularly goats and sheep prefer the fodder to any other variety. The Research Station took up the cultivation of ‘veli masal’ on a low key with a limited expense. “But, to our surprise, there has been a growing demand for the fodder to such an extent that the station has registered a huge profit --about four to five times of our investment,” said N. Chandrasekaran, Professor and Head of the Station.
He said that the crop can withstand drought conditions and can be harvested once in 45 days. “This multi-harvest system has facilitated us to gain profit,” he said.
The livestock prefer this leguminous feed because it is rich in protein. Livestock owners normally purchase it and mix it with grass before use.
Apart from harvesting veli masal, the station has allotted a separate field where seed plants are grown. “The seed plant is not harvested, as it requires more time upto 120 days to develop seeds,” said R. Nageswari, Assistant Professor of Agronomy of the station.
The station has stocked 60 kg of seeds and farmers can get further details by dialling 9486201357 during working hours.
