GUWAHATI, May 18? Adoption of simple, cost-effective and widely available technologies can transform the agricultural scenario in Assam, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Director General (DG) and Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) Secretary, Dr Mangala Rai told newspersons here. Over the next couple of years, such technologies will be put in operation in the State, promising to change the face of rural Assam. Dr Rai, who was addressing newspersons on the sidelines of the two-day 16th ICAR regional committee meeting II, which concluded here today, said that with the aim of bridging the gap between technology at hand and technology on the farm, five more Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) will be set up in the State soon. These will be in addition to the already existing five KVKs in Golaghat, Sivasagar, Kokrajhar, Tinsukia and Sonitpur districts. Under the totally central-sponsored scheme, Rs 1.5 crore will be spent on setting up each of the new KVKs.
The regional committee meeting, held every two years, addressed the agricultural concerns of Assam and West Bengal, involving all Central and state agencies and departments, and took stock of the situation in the two states. There are eight regional committees in the country, Dr Rai stated. According to the ICAR DG, among the issues discussed in the context of Assam are the availability of seeds, saplings and planting materials. He said that seed storage is a serious issue in Assam, partly due to the high level of humidity here. Also discussed was the possibility of increasing poultry and fishery production in the State.
?I see a great future for Assam,? Dr Rai said, adding that the biggest advantage enjoyed by the State is the availability of water. It can be used for the cultivation of a second crop in the Rabi season. He said that the livestock sector also needs ?pinpointed? attention with efforts to improve the breed. ?This state has done little in culture fishery,? he said, adding that ?the sky is the limit for Assam in fish.? He said that the main problem in Assam is the lack of awareness and little investment. He said that the thrust for planners here should be on water management, improved varieties and development of small processing industries.
Calling for greater efforts to transfer technology from the laboratories to the farms, Dr Rai said that the KVKs will help. Dwelling on this aspect, he said that the State cannot have big cold storages but can easily have zero energy cool chambers, which can preserve perishable goods for over a week. These chambers cost just about Rs 500 to build and can solve the problem of rotting crops. Another simple device available is the zero tillage machine, costing about Rs 13,000, which does away with the necessity of ploughing the fields. Net savings is Rs 2000 per hectare, Dr Rai said.
Dr Rai said that raised bed tilling is another method that can be adopted by the farmers. Machines are available for that purpose. The result is 25 per cent saving in water, 20 per cent saving in fertilizer, 20 per cent saving in seeds and 5 per cent increase in yield. While stressing the need for ?real commercialisation? of agriculture, Dr Rai also warned that it has to be carried out with proportionate improvement in marketing methods to prevent a glut of production.