Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Friday, May 31, 2002
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Friday, May 31, 2002 |
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Agri-Biz & Commodities
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Events Legume farming in fallow rice fields mooted Our Bureau
HYDERABAD, May 30 AN international workshop on `Rabi cropping in rice fallows' has advocated cultivation of legumes, particularly chickpea, in the fallow rice fields after the kharif crop was harvested. Agricultural scientists, who took part in the workshop, feel that growing legumes is the answer for effective utilisation of the rice fields which are otherwise left fallow during rabi season due to lack of adequate water resources. The three-day workshop was hosted by the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat) and was funded by the UK's Department for International Development Plant Sciences Research Programme (DFID-PSP). The workshop explored the possibilities of growing chickpea - using technologies developed by Icrisat and DFID-PSP like rapid tillage, sowing short-duration crops and seed priming. Cultivation of chickpea is recommended as its roots are stated to be so tough that they can penetrate as deep as one metre into the rock-hard soils. A total of 14 million hectares (mh) in eastern India, South-eastern Nepal and North-western Bangladesh are being left fallow during the rabi season due to lack of irrigation facilities. India alone accounts for 11.5 mh such fallow land, which is equivalent to the total cultivated land in Punjab and Haryana. Dr Dave Harris of DFID-PSP said the workshop had come out with three draft work plans for implementation in India, Nepal and Bangladesh. In India, cultivation of legumes was sought to be promoted in the States of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa, Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. Mostly, the poverty-ridden tribal areas were being targeted. The workshop, inaugurated by Agricultural Commissioner, Dr C. R. Hazra, was attended by, among others, Dr Shahidur Bhuiyan of USAID, Bangladesh, Dr Shanmugasundaram from the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Centre, Taiwan and Dr R. K. Gupta from the International Centre for Maize and Wheat Improvement.
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