Training programme and demonstration on Sali rice

From a Correspondent

Haflong, June 20: The Regiol Agricultural Research Station (RARS), Shillongani in gaon district under AAU, in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, Dima Hasao, conducted a day-long training programme on the improved cultivation practices of Sali rice for the farmers of Chotowashiling area under Diyungbra block at Halflong Tili of the hill district recently.

Rice crop has been grown by the farmers of the district primarily on the flat lands and under jhum cultivation for many years with their traditiol varieties. Though the average productivity of rice in the district as a whole is 23.84 quintal per hectare, there is enough scope to increase the productivity of the crop to the tune of 40 quintal per hectare with adoption of high-yielding varieties as well as proper crop and soil magement practices, including the use of fertilizer and irrigation. The farmers also fetch very low price of their produce as there is no proper marketing facility in the district. In order to popularize the new high-yielding Sali rice varieties developed and recommended by the Assam Agricultural University, demonstrations on 25 hectares of land in the Chotowashiling area have been undertaken during the current kharif season. On this occasion, a total of 10 quintals seeds of newly-developed Sali rice varieties mely Gitesh and Shrabani were distributed free of cost to 60 beneficiary farmers under a Tribal Sub-plan project so that the new improved Sali rice varieties may spread in the district and farmers can harvest better yield of rice as compared to their own traditiol varieties.

An interactive session of farmers with the scientists and departmental officers was also held. The participating farmers were also made aware of the benefits of Soil Health Card Scheme, a flagship programme of the Government of India, in collaboration with Phyto Solution, a Guwahati-based NGO. Detail methods of soil collection and sampling for alysis were also demonstrated. Further, mobile registration of farmers for receiving information on weather forecasting was also done under Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa Project of the university.

The scientists who took part in the training programme and interactive session were Drs T P Saikia, K K Sarma, P K Deb Choudhury and bajyoti Deka from RARS, Shillongani, gaon. The local Agricultural Development Officer and BDO in-charge of Diyungbra Block Sujata Phonglo and Village Head of Chotowashiling No. 2 Pramod Jidung also spoke on the occasion.