MIRZA, July 5 � Farmers in some areas of Kamrup district are likely to harvest bumper hybrid Boro paddy this year with the direct assistance from the Assam Government. The ambitious scheme � �Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India �(BGREI) � is going to achieve success at some areas of the State which include a cluster covering Bartary, Bejortary and a part of Futuri villages in Palasbari LAC in Kamrup district, sources said.
The Agriculture department, Government of Assam, has launched demonstration of the BGREI scheme in 52 places all over Assam and under Boko subdivisional agriculture office in Kamrup district 14 such demonstrations were held, official sources said.
According to Ramen Deka, Agriculture Extension Officer, Chhaygaon circle a pilot project on hybrid Boro paddy has been under implementation at Bartary, Bejortary and a part of Futuri village in Kamrup district which is going to achieve a major success as far as Boro paddy is concerned and give profit to the farmers with surplus yield of paddy.
�Under the BGREI project, 200 hectare area has been selected covering 280 farmers from Bartary, Bejortary and Futuri villages and farmers have been given hybrid Boro seed (Arize 6444 variety) at free of cost alongwith micronutrient (Borax), pesticide (Bionol), free ploughing and fertilizers which have motivated the farmers to venture into cultivation of Boro paddy with new zeal and enthusiasm.�
Deka said that facilities of irrigation, a vital component of cultivation of Boro paddy, has not been covered under the scheme and added that the cost of diesel required for irrigation of Boro paddy by using shallow tube well sets has to been borne by the farmers concerned.
He expects that the output from one bigha of hybrid Boro paddy will be around 12 to 13 quintal. Except the diesel for watering the crop by sallow tubewell sets, the investment cost is much less under the project and hence, the farmers will get heavy benefit from the scheme, he said.
When asked if the farmers have been given training on the cultivation practices of the new Boro hybrid variety, Deka said that training on package of cultivation practice has been given in the field itself and the implementation of the scheme are closely monitored day by day in order to prevent any damage to the crop.
�The Boro hybrid variety has been chosen in consultation with the farmers in view of the fact that some farmers refuse to cultivate hybrid Boro paddy for less sale value (of the hybrid variety) comparatively with the local and improved varieties. The output of hybrid variety is almost double than the local varieties and hence the farmers will not suffer loss by the sale of hybrid Boro variety at relatively cheaper rate than that of the local varieties,� he said.
Asked whether the State Government will facilitate marketing linkages to purchase the surplus paddy from the farmers, Deka said that the Food Corporation of India has been setting up a marketing place at Boko for the purchase of the surplus paddy from the farmers and effort will be made by the Assam Agriculture Department to ensure that farmers get reasonable price from their paddy sale.
�Senior officials including Agriculture Production Commissioner, RT Jindal has visited the Bartary project of the BGERI scheme recently and all aspects including the marketing of the surplus paddy at reasonable rate is being discussed,� he said.
Official sources said that two varieties of the paddy�one hybrid variety ( Arize 6444 ) and other non-hybrid high yielding variety (I R 64 )�have been selected under the BGERI pilot project for demonstration in the field all over Assam by the State Government.
Several farmers who are the beneficiaries of the BGREI project have expressed satisfaction over the implementation of the project and its result till date but they have demanded that the ambitious project ( BGREI ) needs to be expanded to new areas and the government should provide the diesel in order to reduce the burden of the farmers.
A beneficiary of the BGREI project Siddik Ali ( 39 ) said, � I have two bighas of land in the BGREI cluster and I have invested 70 litres of diesel ( which amounts Rs 3010 at the rate of Rs 43 per litre of diesel ) for irrigation of my hybrid Boro paddy by shallow tube well set and thus I invested the heaviest component for cultivation of Boro paddy.� He also added that he is going to harvest around 24 quintals of paddy this year.
