Technique to help farmers reduce harvest costs by about a third

Tamil Nadu Agricultural University will demonstrate the system of sugar intensification in sugar-mill areas to help farmers reduce labour costs.

The university's Vice-Chancellor, Dr P. Murugesa Boopathi, said the State Government had allotted Rs 1 crore for popularising the technique, and it was planning to conduct demonstrations comparing this technique with conventional practices.

The university has imported two types of harvesters for the demonstrations, he said. These machines could help bring down the cost of harvesting sugarcane, a labour-intensive crop, to Rs 225-250 a tonne, according to estimates, against Rs 650-700 a tonne when done manually, he said.

The university has planned to develop a ‘model sugarcane farm' in its sugarcane research station in Cuddalore.

Sharing details of the discussion held at the high-level committee meeting in Chennai, the Vice-Chancellor said, “The State Government is keen to double the income of the farmers in the next few years. There are an estimated 75 lakh small and marginal farmers in Tamil Nadu at present, and the Government is interested in transforming their lives within the next three years by helping them double their production and productivity.”

“We have suggested ‘critical technologies' suitable for major crops. For instance, by laser-levelling of paddy fields, the yield can be increased by one tonne per hectare. Thus, by levelling the 21 lakh hectares of rice in the State, production can be increased by 21 lakh tonnes. For pulses, adoption of 2 per cent DAP (diammonium phosphate) fertiliser spray, the yield can be doubled from 300-350 kg/hectare at present to 650-750 kg/hectare.”

“TNAU would take up more field demonstrations of new varieties and technologies through its KVKs (krishi vigyan kendras) across the State. We have sought additional funds from the State to plan and implement the strategies,” Dr Boopathi said.

The university had so far released 36 high-yielding varieties of cane, said Director of Research at the university, Dr M. Paramathma. It has also developed an early clone with a yield potential of 136 tonnes/hectare and three mid-late clones with potential to yield more than 132 tonnes/hectare.