TIRUCHI
The Vazhavanthankottai Farmers Producers Group in Tiruchi district has acquired a laser leveller, which helps machine planting with ease, utilising the subsidy extended under the Collective Farming Scheme of the state government.
The FPG had purchased the laser leveller at a cost of ₹4.17 lakh from the ₹5 lakh advanced to the group. Given the labour shortage and high wages, machine transplantation is an in thing these days. But proper levelling of the field is important for using the machines. Uniform levelling of the field would also help in reducing water consumption, say Agriculture Department officials.
“The cost of transplantation manually is very high these days and machine planting is the best option. But for that, the field has to be properly levelled. The laser leveller helps to level the field perfectly,” according to Sakthivel,a member of the FPG.
The FPG charges ₹1300 per acre for levelling. It takes about 60 to 90 minutes to level an acre. Farmers would incur much higher costs to carry out the work by hiring labourers, even if available. The FPG already has farmers on wait to hire the laser leveller to level their fields, officials said.
P.Sankaralingam, Additional Director of Agriculture, on a recent visit to the city, inspected the Laser Leveller at work at field. Mr.Sankaralingam said that the mechanisation would help achieve the food grain machine target of 137 tonnes in the state, an Agriculture Department press release said.
He also inspected a groundnut field if Swaminathan, a farmer in Vazhavanthankottai, where a rain gun has been installed. S.Shanthi,Joint Director of Agriculture (in-charge), S.Esther Premakumari, Assistant Director of Agriculture, Tiruverumbur, and other officials accompanied Mr.Sankaralingam.