Sow and reap

March 13: Scientists have just sown the seeds of an agriculture revolution in this Upper Assam district.

Bogorioni village, under Dergaon revenue circle in Golaghat, is the first village chosen for field trials of a new, cost-effective method of paddy cultivation.

The Madagascar method requires only 2kg of seed for an acre, as against 20kg when farmers follow conventional methods.

The trials were conducted by the North East Centre for Rural Livelihood Research. The organisation has a registered office in Dergaon and is being supported by the Rashtriya Gramin Vikas Nidhi.

The Madagascar method requires young seedlings of around 8-12 days for transplanting. Seeds of any kind, high-yield or otherwise, can be used. The expenditure on fertilisers and pesticides is relatively lower. It also requires less water in comparison to submerged paddy.

Extensive root growth enables the plant to tap nutrients from deeper layers of soil. The Madagascar method has already been adopted in a few states, including Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Tripura and Tamil Nadu, where it has shown visible yield increase over conventional methods. In some areas, yield has increased by as much as 100 per cent.

The popular ahu crop has all the characteristics suitable for this method since it needs less water and the majority of rice fields are fallow.

The best part is that it does not require stagnant water, unlike in traditional paddy cultivation. Scientists believe the method is suitable for farmlands that lack irrigation facilities. “More importantly, it will help farmers increase rice production, avoid flood damage and ensure security of livelihood,” an official of the research organisation said.

Based on the results of the field trials in Golaghat, the organisation plans to the reach of the rice intensification scheme to other districts of the Upper Brahmaputra Valley.

The convenor of the research organisation, Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, the revenue circle officer of Dergaon, Tapan Gohain, Ramen Kalita and Rashmi Dutta from the Rashtriya Gramin Vikas Nidhi and Pradip Bora from the Assam Agricultural University participated in the field trials.