The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Seed Village Scheme: farmers to be self-reliant soon

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Wednesday, Dec 12, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Seed Village Scheme: farmers to be self-reliant soon

Staff Reporter

Paddy being grown in 2.27 lakh hectares

Eighty-one per cent of seed produced by farmers
Emphasis on extending technical know how to farmers

Kakinada: The farmers of East Godavari district are poised to meet the entire requirement of paddy seeds on their own without buying from external agencies.

Of the nearly 1.68 lakh quintals of seeds required in the Kharif season and 1.4 lakh quintals in the Rabi, 81 percent is produced by the farmers. The balance is either supplied by the government agencies or is purchased from the traders.

In two seasons from now, the farmers will be completely self-reliant by producing the required quantity of seeds in their own nurseries, under the Seed Village Scheme (SVS).

cost of cultivation will then come down to a large extent. The SVS has been a success story of the Agriculture Department, which is also encouraging the farmers to take up organic farming for improving the crop quality and, achieve better yields by taking a string of other measures by adapting to the latest farm practices. Paddy yields in the have been good for a long time but for a marked decline in the last two years due to natural calamities.

According to Deputy Director of Agriculture (Plant Protection) I Ramakrishna Murthy, the average yield in 2005 kharif was about 1,600 kg/hectare and 2,630 kg/hectare in the corresponding season of 2006 whereas the yield in 2004 kharif was nearly 3,340 kg/ha and 3,195 kg/ha this year. The rabi yields of paddy were approximately 5,220 kg/ha, 4,645 kg/ha, 4555 kg/ha and 5,390 kg/ha in 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 respectively. By and large, the yields have been satisfactory.

Paddy is being cultivated in 2.27 lakh hectares and it is followed by coconut crop in 50,000 hectares. Sugarcane is grown in 16,000 ha and banana in 15,000 ha. A notable feature has been increase in the acreage of tapioca (used for making starch and as feed) from 18,000 ha to 26,000 ha due to shifting from cultivation of cotton, which is becoming less remunerative by the day. The Agriculture Department has laid greater emphasis on extending the technical know how to farmers under `Polam badi’ programme. It is also promoting farm mechanisation depending on feasibility.

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