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Monday, April 02, 2018

Rice R&D News -Focus on making agriculture viable,profitable;VP to scientists Press Trust of India | Hyderabad Last Updated at March 31, 2018 19:45 IST Tiny URLAdd to My PagePrint Email ALSO READ Need to double maize yield to boost farmers' income: Singh Nutritious food should be promoted in PPP mode: Assocham Wheat production likely to hit 100 MT target this year ASSOCHAM-EY study suggests 2-pronged strategy to boost nutritious & diversified food production in country 5.27 lakhs Fair Price Shops (FPSs) are operational across the country Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu today said that the agriculture sector needs a great deal of attention as he called upon farm scientists to focus on makingagriculture viable, profitable and sustainable. "I have always held that the agriculture sector needs a great deal of attention because a majority of Indians still rely on agriculture and allied occupations in the rural areas for their livelihood," Naidu said. The Vice President said there is a situation today where despite phenomenal increase in food production,farmers are not able to get adequate returns from their investment. "Agriculture remains an unattractive vocation to many families. We must change this situation," an official release quoted him as saying. Naidu was interacting with the Agricultural Researchers on 'Doubling Farm Income by 2022 in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana' at ICAR - Indian Institute of Rice Research here. He urged the scientists to come out with innovative and out-of-box solutions to meet the challenges faced by farmers. He pointed out that lack of quality seeds was one of the problems faced by farmers. Another issue that needed attention was rising input costs. Crop diversification and promoting allied farming activities like backyard poultry were equally important to increase farmers' incomes, Naidu said. The Vice President also wanted the scientists to make e-NAM more popular with the farming community. Stressing the need for home-grown food security, he said both productivity and production have to be increased as the country cannot depend on 'imported food security'. He wanted Krishi Vigyan Kendras to become hubs of activity for farmers. Asking scientists and researchers to spend 'considerable time' with farmers to come out with practical solutions, Naidu suggested that staying with farmers be made mandatory for students pursuing agricultural courses. Naidu also said it would also be possibly beneficial if there was a two way dialogue between agriculture scientists and farmers so that the researchers not only understood farmers problems, but also study any innovative practises which the farmers might have already taken up. He said in addition to knowledge and awareness, it was also important for timely adequate credit to be made available to all farmers. As the vagaries of nature impact the agricultural sector, they also needed to be given adequate financial protection through crop insurance, Naidu said. Asking agricultural scientists and managers to come up with solutions that will impact farmers' lives positively and increase their incomes,he said focus should be on production and productivity to have adequate home grown food security. At the same time it was not merely increasing production and per acre productivity alone which is important. Along with technology transfer and intensification of agriculture, there must be strategic diversification' and attention to the key linkages in the eco-system, he said. Farmers must be supported through market information, warehousing and cold storage facilities as well as the credit, marketing and insurance facilities," he said. "I am happy that each one of you is engaged in doing your best in your domain. I would urge each of you to think further on possible solutions to these challenges and as agricultural scientists and managers, come up with solutions that will impact farmers' lives positively and increase their incomes," he said. (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) First Published: Sat, March 31 2018. 19:45 IST READ MORE ON NAIDU AGRICULTURE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA HUMANITIES CULTURE GENERAL EDUCATION SERVICES OUT-OF-BOX SOLUTIONS FOOD SECURITY INDIAN INSTITUTE OF RICE RESEARCH FOOD PRODUCTION ANDHRA PRADESH VICE PRESIDENT CROP INSURANCE HOME-GROWN FOOD SECURITY INSURANCE FACILITIES TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS ENVIRONMENT PTI STORIES NEWS RECOMMENDED FOR YOU You Might Also Like Odisha: 16-day-old baby stolen by monkey in Cuttack found dead in well Odisha: 16-day-old baby stolen by monkey in Cuttack found dead in well CBSE paper leak: Students protest in Delhi, want re-exam for all subjects CBSE paper leak: Students protest in Delhi, want re-exam for all subjects ICICI's Videocon loan: Inside Deepak Kochhar's NuPower Renewables ICICI's Videocon loan: Inside Deepak Kochhar's NuPower Renewables CBSE paper leak: All 3 accused get 2-day custody, board official suspended CBSE paper leak: All 3 accused get 2-day custody, board official suspended BJP's asset, foot-soldiers and liability: Why the RSS is a limiting factor BJP's asset, foot-soldiers and liability: Why the RSS is a limiting factor Amid Videocon loan rumours, ICICI Bank says it has full faith in Kochhar Amid Videocon loan rumours, ICICI Bank says it has full faith in Kochhar Promoted Stories Recommended by LATEST NEWS IN THIS

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Focus on making agriculture viable,profitable;VP to scientists

Press Trust of India  |  Hyderabad 
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu today said that the agriculture sector needs a great deal of attention as he called upon farm scientists to focus on makingagriculture viable, profitable and sustainable.
"I have always held that the agriculture sector needs a great deal of attention because a majority of Indians still rely on agriculture and allied occupations in the rural areas for their livelihood," Naidu said.
The Vice President said there is a situation today where despite phenomenal increase in food production,farmers are not able to get adequate returns from their investment.
"Agriculture remains an unattractive vocation to many families. We must change this situation," an official release quoted him as saying.
Naidu was interacting with the Agricultural Researchers on 'Doubling Farm Income by 2022 in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana' at ICAR - Indian Institute of Rice Research here.
He urged the scientists to come out with innovative and out-of-box solutions to meet the challenges faced by farmers.
He pointed out that lack of quality seeds was one of the problems faced by farmers. Another issue that needed attention was rising input costs. Crop diversification and promoting allied farming activities like backyard poultry were equally important to increase farmers' incomes, Naidu said.
The Vice President also wanted the scientists to make e-NAM more popular with the farming community.
Stressing the need for home-grown food security, he said both productivity and production have to be increased as the country cannot depend on 'imported food security'. He wanted Krishi Vigyan Kendras to become hubs of activity for farmers.
Asking scientists and researchers to spend 'considerable time' with farmers to come out with practical solutions, Naidu suggested that staying with farmers be made mandatory for students pursuing agricultural courses.
Naidu also said it would also be possibly beneficial if there was a two way dialogue between agriculture scientists and farmers so that the researchers not only understood farmers problems, but also study any innovative practises which the farmers might have already taken up.
He said in addition to knowledge and awareness, it was also important for timely adequate credit to be made available to all farmers. As the vagaries of nature impact the agricultural sector, they also needed to be given adequate financial protection through crop insurance, Naidu said.
Asking agricultural scientists and managers to come up with solutions that will impact farmers' lives positively and increase their incomes,he said focus should be on production and productivity to have adequate home grown food security.
At the same time it was not merely increasing production and per acre productivity alone which is important. Along with technology transfer and intensification of agriculture, there must be strategic diversification' and attention to the key linkages in the eco-system, he said.
Farmers must be supported through market information, warehousing and cold storage facilities as well as the credit, marketing and insurance facilities," he said.
"I am happy that each one of you is engaged in doing your best in your domain. I would urge each of you to think further on possible solutions to these challenges and as agricultural scientists and managers, come up with solutions that will impact farmers' lives positively and increase their incomes," he said.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First Published: Sat, March 31 2018. 19:45 IST
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Rice R&D News -Adopt these rice farming systems for bigger harvest

Adopt these rice farming systems for bigger harvest

A farmer harvests rice at Doho
A farmer harvests rice at Doho. Photo by Lominda Afedraru 

In Summary

  • Figures from the Ministry of Agriculture indicate total production of milled rice by 2014 to be 154, 050 metric tonnes and total consumption rate at 215,707 metric tonnes.
  • The imported rate is 132,316 metric tonnes valued at $45.4 million about (Shs163.8 billon) and the export rate was at 70,659 metric tonnes.
By Lominda Afedraru
In Uganda, rice growing is considered as one of the strategic agricultural enterprises with the potential to contribute to increasing rural incomes and livelihoods and improving food and nutrition security.
However current rice yields are still low a situation partly attributed to the fact that farmers hardly use best agronomy practice to realise good harvest.
But with massive sensitisation work going on and use of improved seed which has been released by breeders is changing the situation with more farmers engaged in growing the crop as a commercial venture.
Speaking to Simon Elibu, a scientist majoring in rice breeding at the National Crop Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI); this is what he advises farmers to do as they go about with daily routine work of growing rice.
Land preparation
Alibu explained that before rice can be planted, the soil should be in the best physical condition for crop growth and the soil surface is well leveled.
Farmers are expected to till land in time about one month before the rains start. Ploughing and harrowing is done twice before planting seeds.
Traditional method of tilling using hoe and ox plough or modern method of using tractors particularly for large scale farmers owning huge acres of land is recommendable.
Upland rice growing practices
Alibu narrates that farmers growing upland rice are expected to plant rice seed in rows with spacing of 1ft by 1ft.
Planting method 
There are three methods of direct seed planting which include broadcast method where farmers sow seed using hand.
The other method is the metallic drilling method where a line is drilled using metallic fork measuring 30cm by 15cm.
Seed is dropped into the drilled lines and covered and a farmer uses one kilogrammes of seed in a 200 square mile land.
The third method is the dibbling or spot planting mainly practiced along mountain slopes where ploughing is difficult.
Farmers use a metallic hook to make a hole comprising 30cm by 12.5 cm and in each hole seven seeds are dropped and covered with soil.
Weeding 
It takes a week for the seeds to germinate and after three weeks from germination farmers are advised to weed their gardens or farm.
This is the time to apply the first round of fertilizer namely UREA and Diammonium phosphate (DAP) measuring 50 kilogrammes per hectare.
It is better to apply the fertilisers before weeding to allow the weeding process cause it to infiltrate to the soil.
The second fertiliser is applied during the second time of weeding is UREA measuring 50 kilogrammes of per hectare.
The second weeding is done after 50 – 60 days from planting time. Rice takes about 70 days to flower depending on the variety and farmers are expected to start harvesting 30 days from the date of flowering.
Rice varieties
Most farmers in the country are growing Nerica rice varieties namely Nerica 1, 4 and 10 which is considered as old generation of rice.
Nerica 4 matures between 110 – 120 days with yield capacity of 4-5 tons per hectare and it is tolerant to drought.
Nerica 2 and 5 are high yielding and it is mostly adopted and grown by farmers in Northern Uganda.
The seed does not break easily meaning there is less loss during processing. A farmer milling 100 kilogramme of harvested seed is able to process 70 kilogrammes.
Nerica 1 matures between 105-115 days and the yield is between three to four tonnes per hectare and it is aromatic while Nerica 10 matures in a short period of 100 -105 days with yield rate of three to four tonnes per hectare.
Nerica 6 is tolerant against Yellow Mortal Virus (YMV) and it matures in 130 – 140 days with yield potential of three to five tonnes per hectare.
Wita 9 variety is high yielding and farmers can harvest five to six tonnes per hectare with maturity period of 140 - 160 days. It is resistant to YMV
Alibu and his breeding team at Namulonge in 2013 released upland varieties namely Namche1, 2, 3, and 4.
Namche 1 is widely adopted because it is early maturing taking 100 days to harvesting.
The agronomy
Farmers engaged in growing lowland rice are expected to prepare nursery beds for raising seedlings. A farmer is expected to heap soil of about one metre wide and sow seed in holes, cover the beds with grass and keep watering for germination to take place.
Farmers must have a good source of water and drainage which will channel water into the field. Seedlings are transplanted after raising them for three weeks.
At the nursery preparation organic manure and fertiliser should be added. The bed should be prepared in 30cm by 60cm trays. Construction of water drainage channels is essential.
The farm for low land rice must be flat to enable even flow of water. The fertiliser is applied on the same day of transplanting.
Usually weeds are not a problem in low land rice growing because the water tends to kill the weeds.
Farmers are therefore expected to weed once and that is 50 days from date of planting and the second fertiliser application should be done after 80 days from date of planting.
Lowland rice takes about 140 to 150 days to mature and farmers grow it in one season.
The recommended varieties released by scientists from NaCRRI include Wita9, Komboka, Agoro and Okile.
Other traditional varieties are K85 and K98 commonly known as Kaiso and Super rice.
Pests and diseases
Farmers face challenge of pests such as stalked eyed flies which feed on the plant tissue causing destruction of stems, string bug and rice bug which suck the juicy panicles thereby staining the grain, termites and snails cut the stems and birds which eat the grains. Farmers may eradicate them by spraying recommended fungicide and human labour for the birds.
The major diseases are rice blast which produces spots on the leaves, rice yellow mortal which makes the leaves turn brown, brown spot, false smut which affect the grain and bacterial blight.
Farmers can get rid of snails by draining water from the farm and in any case the snails eat up rice seedlings which have grown for six weeks and thereafter the plants are safe.
Farmers who are broadcasting chemical spray are advised to restrict the flow to avoid environmental damage to other earth species.
Harvesting 
Farmers are advised to harvest their rice when 80 per cent of the farm is looking brown. Any slight delay will enable the seeds to shutter and less rice will be harvested, therefore timely harvesting is recommended. It is advisable to thresh using small machines to avoid breakages. Drying should be done in three to four days on raised racks.
Statistics 
Figures from the Ministry of Agriculture indicate total production of milled rice by 2014 to be 154, 050 metric tonnes and total consumption rate at 215,707 metric tonnes.
The imported rate is 132,316 metric tonnes valued at $45.4 million about (Shs163.8 billon) and the export rate was at 70,659 metric tonnes
http://www.monitor.co.ug/Magazines/Farming/Adopt-these-rice-farming-systems-bigger-harvest/689860-4364978-elr3ho/index.html
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