Mechanised organic rice-farming mission of RARS extended from Kasaragod

The Kerala Agricultural University (KAU)’s Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS) at Pilicode in Kasaragod has extended its farmer training programme to promote environment-friendly mechanised organic rice farming to Kannur district.

The venture was launched by RARS in 2013 in various panchayats in Kasaragod district, which is declared an ‘organic district’, to encourage environment-friendly mechanised organic paddy cultivation from nursery to harvest.

The training programme has been conducted in two ‘padasekharams’ of the Payyannur municipality — Ramankulam and Muthiyalam-Paravanthatta.

Under the programme launched in association with the Kerala Karshaka Sangham unit in the village of Korome, traditional indigenous saline-resistant organic rice variety ‘Mundon’ was replaced with high-yield organic varieties developed by RARS such as ‘Jaiva’, ‘Ezhome-2’, and ‘Ezhome-4’.

Kannippadam

“‘Kannippadam’, the organic farming mission launched in Kannur, covered 50 acres of paddy fields under the two padashekharams,” said T. Vanaja, professor at RARS and Principal breeder of the first organic rice varieties. Grain production under the Kannippadam mission was estimated at 1,800 kg/acre, she said.

While good straw production was another feature of the organic varieties used, cultivation expenditure had been reduced mainly owing to mechanisation. The estimated expenditure was ₹15,000 per acre, Dr. Vanaja added.

Cost of production

According to RARS, approximately 40 women were required for harvesting and threshing paddy in one acre of land under the traditional system being practised by farmers.

Total expenditure for manual labour would be ₹12,000 for harvesting and threshing alone, Dr. Vanaja said, adding that the use of combined harvester reduced the cost to ₹2,300. Moreover, the work would be over in an hour, she said. The net profit from cultivation in one acre is estimated to be ₹35,000.

Agriculture Minister V.S. Sunil Kumar inaugurated the harvest of rice cultivated under the Kannippadam mission at a function at Payyannur on October 30.