NALBARI, May 1 � A high level experts� team constituted by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to evaluate the five-year works of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) under the agricultural universities, visited Nalbari district on Thursday to assess the latest technologies implemented in the agriculture sector to increase productivity.
The national experts� team headed by agri scientist Dr PG Chengappa, who is the former Vice Chancellor of Bangalore Agricultural University visited the paddy fields of Adabari areas under Mukalmua agricultural circle in Nalbari district. In that village a total of 48 progressive farmers have been engaged in raising �Luit� variety of paddy covering an area of 187 bighas under the scheme of technology showcasing supported by Nalbari Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK).
The experts� team also interacted with the farmers like Sahjahan Ali, who first started cultivation of �Luit� variety of paddy at the locality in 2005. The area coverage of Luit was only 10 bighas in 2005, but it gradually increased to 162 bighas in 2006-07, 653 bighas in 2007-08, 954 bighas in 2008-09 and 1418 bighas in 2009-10.
Earlier, the farmers of this flood-prone area cultivated another long duration variety �Jaya�, which is now replaced by short duration �Luit� by Nalbari KVK. Farmers Sahjahan Ali and Prabin Medhi told the experts� team that as �Luit� is a short duration variety, irrigation facilities and farmers� involvement is very less. At the same time they were getting high net return of Rs 12,686 per hectare in comparison to Rs 10,031 earlier in regard to �Jaya� cultivation.
Two other members of the high-level experts� team were agri specialists Dr KK Jindal and Dr YPS Dabas. The team was assisted by Dr AK Gogoi, zonal project director of ICAR, Shillong and Dr BC Bhowmick, director of extension education of Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat.
Earlier, the team visited the fields of Nagaon, Jorhat, Golaghat, Kamrup and Barpeta districts and reviewed technology implementation in the agriculture sector. Later, talking to this correspondent, Dr PG Chengappa, who was the chairman of the team said that they were satisfied with technology implementation in the State agriculture sector. �We are morally responsible for providing it to the farmers in order to boost their agri production. Dr Chengappa added. He assured that the ICAR will take all possible steps to reach the remotely located farmers through the KVKs set up all over the country. Dr Chengappa also lauded the role of Nalbari KVK in mobilising the farmers for the latest technologies.
It may be mentioned here that special initiative was taken by Dr Manoranjan Neog, co-ordinator of Nalbari KVK and scientists Dr Ramani Thakuriya, Dr Mridul Deka and Jayanta Sarma in polularising two paddy varieties, i.e, Ranjit and Luit in Nalbari district. According to Dr Ramani Thakuria Nalbari KVK supplied seeds and fertilizers to the farmers to cultivate �Luit� paddy and the produce would by purchased by AAU, Jorhat as �certified seeds�.
