Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

SIMA-CDRA takes up seed-based contract farming

By Our Staff Reporter

COIMBATORE, MAY 1 . The Southern India Mills' Association - Cotton Development and Research Association (SIMA-CDRA) has taken up "seed-based" contract farming method for select cotton farmers in the State.

The SIMA-CDRA Chairman, J. Thulasidaran, told The Hindu that this was taken up as a pilot project on totally 1,000 acres in seven centres in the State (Konganapuram, Kumbakonam, Villupuram, Theni, Rajapalayam, Ponneri and Udumalpet) during July-September last year. Select areas in each of the seven centres were registered and more than 800 farmers from these places were involved in this programme.

He said the association had identified seven varieties of cotton to be cultivated under this programme. Apart from helping the farmers during the cultivation period, it also purchased cotton seeds from them.

Further, these farmers were guided on the technology to be adopted for increasing production, and arrangements were made for conducting soil analysis on their fields. The association had also assisted them on integrated pest management. It was now planned to provide personal insurance coverage for these farmers.

Mr. Thulasidaran pointed out that the cotton seed yield had increased by nearly 20 per cent in these farms during the project period. Hence, efforts were on to introduce organic farming in these select areas during the next sowing season. This was expected to further improve the yield.

He said through this project, the quality of the seeds was improved (the seeds were found to have high storage potential and were disease-free) and were distributed by the association to other farmers involved in cotton cultivation.

Owing to encouraging response to this programme, the association was looking at developing it further and had drafted a three-year project. It had submitted the proposal to the Indian Council for Agricultural Research for assistance, he added.

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