Tamil Nadu - Dindigul   

‘Farmers must be trained in extension activities'

PHOTO: G. KARTHIKEYAN.

S. Senthil Vinayagam, director, National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management, addressing a training programme at Gandhigram Rural Institute in Gandhigram, near Dindigul, on Tuesday. —

DINDIGUL: Taking technology and marketing strategies to farmers quickly is need of the hour.

To achieve it, farmers should be motivated and trained in extension activities. These were highlighted at a training programme on ‘Horticultural extension management for extension functionaries,' organised by the National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad, in Krishi Vigyan Kendra at Gandhigram near here on Tuesday.

In his inaugural address, MANAGE Director (Agriculture Extension) Director S. Senthil Vinayagam said that present ratio of agriculture extension officials and farmers was 1:20,000.

It would be difficult to scale down the gap between the two. Technology-led extension activities, market-related extension activities and farmer led extension activities were three pronged strategies to reach farmers.

The 12 {+t} {+h} five year plan has components for such activities. Farmers should be fully trained to take these technologies and strategies among other farmers. Mission mode approach only would bring a desirable change in this connection, he opined.

In his special address, Annamalai University, Faculty of Agriculture Dean J. Vasantha Kumar stated that there was a wide gap between research and extension activities in the country.

“Even as the country topped in vegetable and fruits production, we could not tap European and US markets. We have not tapped the global market potential effectively in the WTO era,” he added.

A decade ago, Punjab had exported 500 tonnes of ladies finger to the UK.

It was reduced subsequently. There was nothing from Tamil Nadu, he deplored. Several agriculture produces like cashew, produced in our State were rebranded and exported to foreign countries.

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