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Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008
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Online edition of India's National Newspaper Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008 ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version |
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Tamil Nadu
improving feed: Azolla cultivation on at Pakkiripalayam in Tiruvannamalai district. CHENGAM: In order to increase milk production, Chengam block in Tiruvannamalai district has taken steps to motivate farmers to cultivate Azolla, which is the supplementary feed for milch animals. Aavin is providing guidance for the initiative. This is the only block in the entire district where the local non-government organisation (NGO), Empowering Mahilas for Meaningful Action, offers sustained training to the farmers on cultivation of this supplementary feed. A. Abdul Sukkur, Chief Executive Officer of the NGO, said that Azolla was a good supplementary feed for milch animals. Further it was a good biofertilizer for paddy field. At present, ample stress was on cultivating Azolla, to serve as a supplementary feed for milch animals. The production first started with a single farmer at Kuppusamy Nagar in Pakkripalayam, thanks to the active support of Chengam panchayat union chairman G. Kumar and AGM of NABARD Narayanan. He said that production of Azolla was encouraged during various training camps conducted through NABARD in Pakkripalayam. During one of the trainings, the former District Diary Manager of Aavin, Sadasivam, brought a sample of Azolla for a live demonstration. He explained how it helped to increase milk production. Even the health of the milch animals improved, he said. Mr. Sukkur said that when the cultivation was introduced, a farmer at Kuppusamy Nagar was encouraged to cultivate Azolla at the backyard of his house. He could see the difference in his animals three days after feeding them. The animals produced extra milk. For two days, the farmer stopped giving Azolla as a supplementary feed , which brought the milk production to normal level. Seeing the results, more farmers were now coming forward to cultivate Azolla. Besides Kuppusamy Nagar, the cultivation had now been introduced at Pudupettai Pakkiripalayam Pudur and Gandhi Nagar in the Chengam block. More than 20 farmers were into backyard cultivation of Azolla. Mr. Sukkur said that every day the farmers mixed a handful of Azolla, in the mornings and evenings, with the normal feed. It could be fed as supplementary food to cross bred cows and buffaloes. Similarly, Azolla could be mixed in poultry feed. Mr.Sukkur said that farmers earned an additional sum of Rs.30 on two litres of milk every day. This meant that the farmers earned an extra amount of Rs.900 a month. It boosted the economic status of farmers. The farmers earned this extra amount without any investment. Azolla cultivation was a low cost technique. The farmers also reported more fat content in the milk. The future plan was to introduce backyard Azolla cultivation in the entire Chengam block. Mr. Sukkur said that the district administration had been emphasising the need for increased milk production. With the increase in the production, the farmers stood to gain as a proposal had been chalked out for a milk powder unit at Ammapalayam.
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