As many as 6,550 hectares of paddy crop will be brought under the System Rice Intensification (SRI) method in the current season, according to Collector S. Jayandhi.
She was inspecting the progress of bringing paddy fields under SRI at Muthaladampatti near here on Tuesday.
She said samba crop had been raised on 9,362 hectares in the district. Of them, SRI had been followed on 6,554 hectares of land. Since the mechanised transplantation had good potential to produce high yield, it had been decided to bring as many hectares as possible. Target had been fixed to bring 2,120 hectares under mechanised transplantation.
Stating that samba plantation work had been progressing work in the district, mechanised transplantations were completed on 1,505 hectares of land.
It would help farmers raise the crop with minimum overhead cost.
The shortage of labour could be overcome well.
Ms. Jayandhi said the government was extending subsidy to the tune of Rs. 3,000 a hectare for promoting mechanised paddy transplantation. A sum of Rs. 63.60 lakh had been earmarked for it.
She said the district had so far received 538 mm of rain as against the annual average of 652 mm. It was expected that the district would surpass the average rainfall this year. Instructions had been given to the agricultural officials to maintain sufficient stock of fertilisers.
