India State Tamil Nadu Investing in Farmers as Stakeholders

Harvesting tech to making chips: A course for farmers


Nandu Sundaram
TNN

Coimbatore: If you are a potato farmer, you can now learn to make your own brand of chips. And get a bachelor’s degree in farm technology too. Everything from using the right seeds to the best harvesting

technology and making tasty finger chips will now be taught to farmers in Tamil Nadu through a three-year degree programme in Tamil. For the first time in the country, the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) is offering a degree programme for farmers who have dropped out of schools. All that the farmers need is a school leaving certificate that shows

that they have appeared for class X exam.

“Those who have appeared for class X public examination and are 30 years or above can apply,” said Dr V Valluva Paridasan, director, open and distance education, TNAU. The programme has already found quite a few takers. As many as 175 farmers have already applied for the course and admissions are open till the end of November.

One of them is 38-year-old D Ravishankar, who has taken 24 acres of land on lease at Thalavady near Sathyamangalam in Erode district and grows water melons along with his partner. “I have to run from pillar to post to find out about the right pesticide to apply or the right seed to use. I want to get into hi-tech farming. I am sure the course will give me the correct information on farming,” he said.

The six-semester bachelor’s degree in farm technology (BFTech) programme will include courses on agriculture, horticulture, soil science and seed technologies among others. Four courses will be offered in each semester. The curriculum would include field visits, study tours, demonstrations and hands-on training sessions. Dr Paridasan said the course was a first-ofits-kind in the country.

Launched on November 1, the distance education programme will offer relevant literature and other booklets to farmers. Contact classes will be held once or twice a month during the weekends at any of TNAU’s research centres. “If you are a farmer from Nagercoil, you will be asked to attend contact classes along with 20 to 40 other farmers at the horticulture research station in Pechiparai,” Dr Paridasan said.

nandu.sundaram@timesgroup.com

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Tamil Nadu to introduce cluster farming to boost production of pulses


Chennai: The state department for agriculture is introducing cluster farming to increase the production of pulses in Tamil Nadu. Speaking at a conference held in the city on Wednesday on the challenges in the export of agricultural products, the principal secretary for agriculture, Dr P Rama Mohana Rao said, “This is the only model that can bring farmers together and improve the production of pulses. We have initiated a pilot project in Pudukottai over land spanning 1000 hectares, where a pulses cluster has been developed. Now we plan to develop clusters of 1000 hectares each in all 30 districts, amounting to 30,000 hectares of land under pulses cultivation.”

According to him, over 70 percent of the pulses consumed by the state is being imported. Till now, pulses was only cultivated as an intercrop along with groundnuts. The state agriculture department has been looking into methods and incentives to raise the produce. An official told TOI earlier that the 1000 hectare pilot project included new methods of cultivation and introduction of short duration variety seeds in pulses to encourage cultivation. Meanwhile, the department will also be setting up a lab for production of seeds with the support of the state government. These seeds will be sold to farmers at prices that are lower than market rate. “We will also be giving a subsidy of Rs 3,000 per hectare for seeds,” added Rao. “This will ensure quality food at competitive prices.” The department is also looking at acquiring land in Tindivanam and Ottenchaphiram near Coimbatore for the setting up of these labs, he said. TNN



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