Farmers embracing technology in rice cultivation

By Our Correspondent,Damak, Mar. 12: The farmers of Kamal Rural Municipality of Jhapa have been increasingly attracted towards modern and technology-based rice promotion programme.

The work of planting rice in a modern way has been promoted with priority under the leadership of the local small farmers’ agricultural cooperative with the support of the rural municipality.

Attraction of the farmers has been increased towards the use of modern technology for paddy plantation after the small farmers’ cooperative has bought rice planting machines and brought them into use.

According to manager of the cooperative Tanka Parajuli, paddy planting is being done in a modern way by producing seedling in trays.

He said that agricultural mechanisation demonstration has been started under the rice production promotion programme to reduce production cost and encourage farmers to cultivate rice even in off-season.

“We have found that an attraction of farmers in technology-based rice cultivation has increased this year than last year,” said Parajuli.

According to Prem Prasad Pokharel, an agricultural technician of the rural municipality, in the early years, farmers din not believe that they could plant rice by putting rice seedlings in trays.

Now that they are getting good income, the farmers are getting information about this and they are also willing to plant rice in this way, said Pokharel.

Chairman of Kamal Rural Municipality Hukum Singh Rai said that farmers have been encouraged to plant paddy through mechanisation in a modern way by coordinating with the cooperative and the agriculture unit of the rural municipality.

“We are providing necessary technical consultation and distribution of good rice seedling to the farmers,” he said.

 “We have seen that the price of paddy will be better when cultivating chaite paddy using technologies and farmers can benefit from it as they can grow paddy twice a year. Farmers are willing to cultivate paddy two times after reduced cost with the use of technology,” said Rai.

In order to attract and encourage the farmers for modern farming, the rural municipality is also providing free services for soil testing, soil treatment and also distributing organic solid and liquid manure, he informed.