Precision Farming Pride for Farmers

KVK Puducherry, Puducherry60

KVK Puducherry introduced precision farming through a series of activities.Shri Batcha , a farmer of village Pandasozhanallur, Nettapakkam Commune,Puducherry adopted precision farming in his farm under the technical

backstopping of KVK. As a first step, KVK enrolled him as a beneficiary underPuducherry Precision Farming Project during 2008. Then he was technically guidedin establishing the drip and fertigation structures at 100% subsidy by theGovernment of Puducherry.

He cultivated brinjal with precision farming technology. He used the brinjalseedlings raised in protrays obtained from Hitech Nursery at Madagadipet. Heraised the crop in an area of 0.8 ha during September 2008 and harvested 150 MTof Brinjal up to March 2009. The farmer could get a gross income to the tune of Rs12 lakh within six months by selling produce. He used brinjal varieties Koyembedu/Panrutti which fetches an appreciable price in the market. Convinced by the successof the technology he has expanded the area further to another 1.00 ha with brinjalvariety Ujjala and raised the crop during October 2009. Though the crop sufferedduring the initial period of two months with incessant rains the farmer couldmanage to obtain 45 MT of brinjal up to May 2010 and could get a gross incomeof Rs 4.75 Lakh.

Interesting to note that his only son Shri Jayaprakash an IT professional whowas working at Chennai has moved from Chennai to Puducherry to assist hisfather in farming as he is confident that precision farming undertaken withappropriate market tie-up will be more remunerative than IT industry. Farmer haskeen to organize his fellow farmers into a group farming Puducherry PrecisionFarming Farmers Association for which he remains as the President. He shares hisexperiences as a resources person in meetings organized by KVK for the benefit ofthe fellow farmers.

• Introduced precision farming in Puducherry with 100% financial suppor t from theGovernment of Puducherry

• Shri Batcha successfully adopted the precision farming and cultivated brinjal cropby seedlings raised in protrays

• Within six months, Shri Batcha obtained a gross income of Rs 14 lakh from 0.8 haland under precision farming

• Precision farming created employment to rural women

Salient FeaturesSalient FeaturesSalient FeaturesSalient FeaturesSalient Features

61

Shri A. Ramamourti

Programme Coordinator

Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kurumbapet

Puducherry-605 009

Email: pondicherrykvk@yahoo.co.in

Ph: 0413-2271352/2271292

Fax: 0413-2279758

Ph: 0413-2206666 (R), M: 09443235329/09442502109