The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : SRI implementation in all paddy fields in Tiruchi district

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Saturday, Apr 26, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

SRI implementation in all paddy fields in Tiruchi district

S. Ganesan

Farmers’ meetings to be held, implements given

TIRUCHI: The Agriculture Department has planned to bring the entire paddy coverage area of 61,000 hectares this year in Tiruchi district under System of Rice Intensification (SRI), which has been touted as a technique offering huge potential for increasing productivity with less water requirement.

Though the government has fixed a target of 30,000 hectares (ha) for SRI for the district this year, the Department was planning to promote the system in the entire normal paddy coverage area.

To start with SRI would be promoted in 10,000 hectares (ha) during the kuruvai season, Joint Director of Agriculture N. Ponnuswamy informed farmers at the Farmers’ Grievances Day meeting here on Friday.

Higher productivity

Mr.Ponnuswamy said farmers could achieve a productivity of 13 tonnes per hectare by adopting the system and last year a productivity of 8.4 tonnes was achieved in the district. Last year, SRI was adopted in about 17,000 ha.

The department has drawn out a plan to execute the ambitious programme this year.

A publicity campaign will be launched soon and farmers’ meetings would be held across the district from May 3. Three to four villages would be covered everyday.

Village blacksmiths would be trained in the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University’s Agricultural Engineering College here in making the Cono rotary weeders and markers required for the SRI technique.

Self-help groups, farmers and blacksmiths could contact the Agriculture Department before May 5 for undergoing the training. The farm implements would be supplied to farmers before May 25.

Mr.Ponnuswamy also disclosed that precision farming would be promoted in 200 hectares in the district during the year under the National Agriculture Development Project.

“Release more water”

Later, a cross section of farmers representatives demanded the release of at least 2,500 cusecs of water from the Mettur Dam to save the standing crops that are fed by 17 irrigation channels downstream of the dam to Tiruchi district.

President of District Cauvery Delta Farmers’ Welfare Association G. Kanagasabai said banana, sugarcane, turmeric and late paddy crops were withering as the quantum of water being released now has not reached the tail-end areas.

A. Karuppanan, secretary of the district farmers’ wing of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, said that officials of nationalised bank in the district were confused over loan waiver announced by the Union Government recently and fresh loans were not being sanctioned.

Lead Bank Manager K. Pandian said guidelines for the loan waiver were being awaited from the Union Government.

Currently, the list of beneficiaries along with their overdues was being collected from the banks.

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