The Agriculture Department has introduced a revolutionary Paddy Drum Seeder for expanding area coverage under paddy cultivation.A simple machine weighing less than 10 kgs and costing around Rs 5000 has been introduced through Private Public Parternership (PPP) Mode the demonstration of which was conducted today at Seohra (Pounichak) in presence of Director Agriculture Jammu Dr S S Jamwal.Elaborating the benefits of the machine Dr. Jamwal said that only three persons are required for handling the machine which can sow an area of one acre in a span of two to two and a half hours time.On an average two seeds are sown per hill by the machine in lines at a spacing of 20 cm row to row and 10 cm plant to plant thereby leaving a scope for efficient mechanical weeding by Cono-weeders as well as manually. The sowing by machine also makes other inter-cultural operations like fertilizer application, plant protection measures and harvesting operations convenient as also saves labour, reduces drudgery, maintains uniform plant population and economizes cost of cultivation.
Farmers present on the occasion expressed great appreciation for the machine and demanded more such demonstrations and provision of machinery on subsidized cost initially for its popularization. Director Agriculture Jammu appreciated the zeal of Madeshwaran of KSNM and Chaman Lal farmer of Seohra who made special efforts to provide necessary facilities to organize the demonstration.Dy Director Agriculture, Jammu C. M. Sharma, Chief Agriculture, Jammu Sh R. L. Bhagat, ADO (Veg), Jammu, S Matinder Singh, JAEO Sh B. S. Manhas, VAEAs Sh Vikas Padha, Naresh Sharma, Sanjeev Kumar besides Sh Raj Kumar Sharma, Sarpanch Tarlokur and farmers of the area were also present during the demonstration programme.Arun Jaral, JAEO and K K Bhat, JAEO were the Resource Persons of the demonstration programme held under the supervision of V. K. Koul, AEO, Pounichak zone.