The Hindu : Front Page : A `salvaging strategy' for partially damaged crops

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 21, 2005

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A `salvaging strategy' for partially damaged crops

Staff Reporter

With a view to restoring normality in farming activities

TIRUCHI: Even as unprecedented damage to fields following torrential rain and flood has made farmers desperate, the Agriculture Department has come out with a `salvaging strategy' for partially damaged crops.

With a view to restoring normality in farming activities, the department has undertaken an extension service to provide psychological counselling and training in protection of crops. The service, according to officials, has received good response from farmers.

The department has been convening special meetings in villages in the past fortnight. Requisitioning the help of agricultural officials in lesser-affected districts, the department is making its presence felt with 40 teams.

Each team, comprising an Assistant Director of agriculture, four agricultural officers, and 15 assistant agricultural officers, has been successful in convincing hundreds of farmers in interior villages on the immediate need to administer foliar spray on the standing crops for ensuring a fair yield.

"Leeching of nutrients is the worst problem caused by soil erosion during floods. The average normal per acre yield of 35 bags in paddy, 45 tonnes in sugarcane and 10 tonnes in banana will be reduced to 25 bags, 35 tonnes and five tonnes respectively. We have suggested immediate foliar spray of the fields", says the Agricultural Development Officer, Andanallur, V. Lakshmanaswamy.

Farmers were tipped of the cost-benefit ratio of foliar spraying and its impact on yield.

While paddy can be saved to a considerable extent, officials hope that 40 tonnes of sugarcane and seven tonnes of banana can be harvested as of now. Officials have also suggested spraying zinc sulphate, borax, copper sulphate, urea and potash, potassium nitrate on the crops to enrich the soil.

The Joint Secretary of Agriculture, Chandramohan, who recently visited the flood-hit villages of Kodiyalam, Andanallur and Kambarasampettai villages in the block, oversaw the extension work.

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