VIJAYAWADA: To maintain productivity in the face of increasing farm labour shortage mechanised farming is a necessity, said Tobacco Board chairman Raghunadha Babu Yadlapati.
Speaking to TNIE, Raghunadha Babu, who took over as the chairman of the Tobacco Board in July said, he wants to encourage cost-effective tobacco cultivation practices so that the farmers can reap their benefits, adding, a new method named transplanter is being followed on an experimental basis in Jangareddygudem of West Godavari district.
“Tobacco cultivation requires triple the effort as compared to any other crop. In the present scenario, where getting hold of farm labour is not only difficult but also increasingly costly there is no other alternative but to go for farm mechanisation. Since I took over, I have been trying to create an environment in which tobacco farmers get more benefits, including both physical and monetary for lesser efforts” he said.
The Tobacco Board chief said that a device named transplanter was used on an experimental basis to boost land productivity in around 50 acres in Jangareddigudem and reduced the need of farm workers by 50 per cent.
“The advantage of using a transplanter which is attached to a tractor is to plant tobacco saplings in a uniform manner and deeper than via manual method. This allows the soil to absorb more fertiliser and increases its aeration,” he explained.
Raghunadha Babu also said they are encouraging micro-irrigation and supplementing required micronutrients to the soil through drip irrigation method. “It will not only improve soil productivity but also its quality. The yield per acre is likely to increase substantially,” he asserted.
Three months from the day of implementing these new cultivation methods, the crops will be harvested and based on results the Board intends to encourage farm mechanisation on a large scale and give incentives to tobacco growers to purchase transplanters in the form of around 50 per cent subsidy from both the State and Centre.
As per reports, the tobacco yield looks more promising this year as compared to the last one, given the favourable climatic conditions.