Tamil Nadu - Kancheepuram   

The downside of alternative crops

By Our Staff Reporter

KANCHEEPURAM, SEPT. 14. Participants at a seminar on alternative crops here have urged farmers not to take up alternative crop cultivation such as sugar beet, sweet sorghum and jatropha in a big way since these crops are being introduced for the first time in the State under contract farming.

Though handsome returns were assured, farmers were yet to become familiar with how to curb diseases or pest attacks on these crops. They also had to get acquainted with the manure schedule, which was totally different from the schedule for normal crops.

Dhanabal of Sathananchery in Uthiramerur tahluk told the seminar that he was able to harvest around 1.10 tonnes of sugar beet, cultivated on an area of 9 cents in October last year under the guidance of S.V. Sugar Mills, Pazhayaseevaram near Wallajabad.

A moisture content, similar to that for groundnut cultivation, would be ideal for cultivating sugar beet, he said, but warned that the crop was prone to pest attack/disease as it grows. Root rot was the major problem.

Warning the farmers that any attempt to cultivate these alternative crops on a large scale without knowledge or experience would be risky, Siddheshwaran, a professor from Thirurkuppam Rice Research Institute of Tamil Nadu Agriculture University, pointed out that `vadal' disease attack had been noticed on jatropha plants and stem-borer attack on sweet sorghum.

Further, taking up jatropha cultivation would not be wise since the crop required one or two wettings in a month failing which the yield might reduce or the crop itself might wither, he said.

A representative from the Mohan Breweries and Distillers Limited, which is promoting contract farming in northern districts, suggested that jatropha could be planted on the ridges of paddy fields.

This would not only help them earn some money during droughts but also bring additional earnings during normal cultivation seasons.

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