AP upbeat on Sri cultivation

Targets 18,500 acres more

The Andhra Pradesh government plans to implement Sri (system of rice intensification) cultivation in a big way across the state starting from the coming rabi season.

Addressing a press conference after meeting officials of various departments that come under the agriculture ministry, N Raghuveera Reddy, minister for agriculture, said: "This system has been very successful in our state, apart from Punjab. The government now proposes to increase cultivation by using this system from the existing 1,500 acres to around 20,000 acres starting from the rabi season."

The cultivation method involves management of soil, water and plant in a balanced relationship to enable maximum growth of rice plants.

It has been found to be capable of doubling production of paddy per hectare. When compared to the conventional method, water and manure requirements are 50 per cent less and it also requires lesser labour.

Reddy said that in the areas where the method has been implemented, farmers were able to save water up to 30 per cent and the productivity also improved.

The minister also said that the state was suitable for bee keeping as the state had good resources in terms of sunflower crop, sweet lime orchids and eucalyptus trees.

"Punjab alone produces honey worth Rs 600 crore and companies there said that Andhra Pradesh was suitable for bee cultivation, so we have invited parties to come and talk to the authorities concerned on this issue," he said.

Observing that all the various departments related to agriculture needed to work together, he said, "Till now, all the departments related to agriculture were working independently but from now on it has been decided that all of them would work together in co-relation, which in-turn would benefit the farmers."

He said that steps like implementation of crop diversification, better marketing procedures, study by various departments on value addition and contract farming would be taken up in a more aggressive manner.

"We have also in principal taken a decision to organise a four-day farmer mela in December or January, where the best practices in the sector would be discussed,"he said.