Technique of less water rice production soon

A new technique called 'system for rice intensification' (SRI) to achieve more production with less water would be introduced in the Thamarabharani river basin in Tamil Nadu, in mid-June.

A new technique called 'system for rice intensification' (SRI) to achieve more production with less water would be introduced in the Thamarabharani river basin in Tamil Nadu, in mid-June, a senior government official said on Tuesday.

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Agriculture department had selected about 30,000 hectares of land, covering Tirunelveli and Tuticorin districts, for this technique, developed by Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, T.S.Sridhar, Agricultural Production commissioner and secretary to Tamil Nadu government told presspersons here.

By using any type of rice varieties, young and single seedling with narrow spacing, additional yield of one tonne could be achieved by SRI technique, by regulating water supply in doses to the field, Sridhar said.

The university had provided necessary training to farmers under the rs.25 lakh pilot project, he said, adding that the system could be expanded to other areas, depending on the success of this project.

Sridhar was speaking after inaugurating a scientific workers' conference at the University.

Sridhar urged the scientists to "mainstream" poverty as the main agenda, so that poverty ridden areas could be identified and effective strategies could be evolved to help the poor double their per capita income by 2010, as envisaged by the government.