Kerala Agricultural University Vice Chancellor R. Chandra Babu has stressed the need for organising consultative workshops of agriculture officers and scientists in a district to address the agriculture-related issues being faced by the farming community.
Speaking after inaugurating a consultative workshop on agricultural problems in Wayanad, jointly organised by the KAU, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Wayanad, and Department of Agriculture, at Ambalavayal in the district on Thursday, Dr. Chandra Babu said that agriculture officers were the best resources to bring out the field level realities at the grass-roots level.
“At a time when the climate change is raising a serious threat to the farming community, such workshops will help the varsity to bridge the research extension gaps that exist at the grass-roots level’, Dr. Chandra Babu said.
KVK head Allan Thomas said the programme was organised to address the felt and unfelt needs of the farming community. Interaction with agriculture officers alone would reveal the real issues of farmers, Dr. Thomas said.
The workshops stressed the need for a standard of procedure for high-density planting of banana in the district and conduct scientific researches for studying whether there were any physiological responses related to the “njattuvela” calendar, especially for implementing Bharathiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhathi programmes.
It was recommended studying whether there was any subsoil acidity due to continuous rain and use of heavy machinery in paddy lands in the district and if there was any subsoil acidity which was contributing to a decline in the pepper yield.
It was suggested that research be carried out to find out whether grafted varieties could reduce quick wilt incidence and whether there was any correlation between drought and quick wilt of pepper.
The workshops also discussed the issues such as blackening of banana just after ripening and screening of high yielding aromatic rice varieties suitable to the district
.Dr. Jayasree Krishnankutty, Director of Extension, KAU, presided over the function and principal agriculture officer A.P. Shirly delivered the keynote address.
