’Farmers keen on mechanised farming’

’Farmers keen on mechanised farming’

Mangalore Today News Network

MANGALORE: Farmers in Dakshina Kannada are yet to show interest in the mechanised paddy cultivation, which is claimed to provide good yield at a lesser production cost.

 

This was revealed at the workshop on mechanised paddy cultivation that was held here on Thursday. The workshop was jointly organised by the University of Agriculture, Bangalore, Krishi Vignana Kendra, Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat’s Agriculture Department, Dakshina Kannada Agriculture Development Society, and the VST Tillers and Tractors Limited.

Joint Director of Agriculture A. Padmayya Naik said not many farmers had shown interest in government scheme for the purchase of Rice Transplanters of VST Tillers. So far, four farmers had shown interest in the scheme, which was being implemented since May.

The State government initiated a scheme to give subsidy of Rs. 77,000 to each farmer for the purchase of the transplanter that costs about Rs. 1.7 lakh. The farmer had to pay Rs. 33,000 and he would be asked to sow paddy on about 50 acres of land of farmers registered at the Raitha Samparka Kendra. Each of the farmer in whose field the paddy was sowed had to pay the purchaser of transplanter Rs. 2,000 for each acre of sowing. While the purchaser would retain Rs. 500 with him, he would remit Rs. 1,500 to the VST. The State government was providing a subsidy of Rs. 1,000 for the farmer for each acre of sowing done using the transplanter. Mr. Naik asked farmers to go for purchase of a transplanter in a group and carry out sowing in their areas.

Divisional Manager of VST Tillers and Tractors P.C. Prasad said the new scheme set a target to bring mechanised cultivation to 50 per cent of the 50,000 hectres of paddy cultivable land in Dakshina Kannada, which was one of the 15 districts where the scheme was being implemented.