Tamil Nadu Agricultural University has sent a proposal to the State Government to almost double pulses production in the coming season.
According to sources, the objective is to take the black gram (urad dal) production from the current average yield of 400-500 kg a hectare to 1,000 kg a hectare.
The move is in keeping with the United Nations declaring 2016 as the International Year of Pulses.
The sources said that under the proposal, the university will first take up 10,000 of the 40,000 hectare in the four delta districts (Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Cuddalore and Nagapattinam) in the rice fallow season to double production.
The university had tasked the job of identifying the 10,000 hectares to joint directors of agriculture in the districts concerned.
In the selected lands, the university will train farmers, hand over ADT 5 and VBN 6 variety seeds and also support farmers by ensuring that they plant using seed drill, which ensures that every sq.m. of the field contained 33 plants.
During the 60-65 day growth period, the university would advise and assist the farmers on weed and nutrition management. This would be during the first cultivation season or ‘Thai Pattam’.
In the next cultivation season, ‘Chithirai Pattam’, the university would use seeds harvested in the first season to expand the area, the sources said.
At the end of both the cultivation seasons, the university would with help from the Agriculture Marketing Department help farmers get a good price.
It would help them get the pulses polished in the mills in Thanjavur.
Source : The Hindu
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