The Aadhirengam Nel Jayaraman Traditional Paddy Protection Centre has called upon the State government to set up a traditional paddy seed bank in order to enhance availability for cultivation.
At present, the centre is engaged in generation of traditional paddy seeds with the help of like-minded farmers and has succeeded in its endeavour to keep the varieties alive. However, involvement of the government will help improve their availability on a large-scale if it comes forward to set up a seed bank, said centre coordinator, Rajesh.
Of late, most of the younger generation farmers have opted for cultivation of traditional paddy varieties under the organic farming method, he added.