Sustainable rice manufacturing: 10,000 farmers to obtain DSR coaching from IIRR

Nearly 10,000 paddy farmers will quickly bear coaching in village and campus settings underneath the ‘Promotion of Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) for Sustainable Rice Production’ venture launched by the Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR) with monetary assist from the SBI Foundation.

“We are conducting this coaching for farmers to advertise mechanised Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) for sustainable rice manufacturing and enhance farmers’ revenue within the erstwhile Khammam and Nalgonda districts on a pilot foundation. As a part of this venture, funded underneath the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative by SBI Foundation, 500 chosen farmers will even obtain field-level assist, together with seed assist and pest administration,” mentioned Director of ICAR-IIRR, R.M. Sundaram.

Two autos, ‘SBI Kisan Sarathi’ and ‘SBI Krishi Darshan’, had been flagged off to assist DSR coaching actions on Monday. While ‘Kisan Sarathi’ offers free transportation for farmers to attend trainings at ICAR-IIRR and KVKs, ‘Krishi Darshan’ is a cellular consciousness marketing campaign automobile outfitted with audio-visual aids and a devoted coach conducting village-level coaching classes and providing soil testing package assist.

According to the Director of ICAR-IIRR, the IoT-enabled Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) sensors are put in in fields to observe water ranges in real-time and optimise irrigation practices as a part of the venture. A rainout shelter outfitted with automated climate sensors has been established for coaching and analysis on DSR manufacturing on the ICAR-IIRR Hyderabad campus. SBI Foundation Managing Director, Sanjay Prakash, mentioned that the muse is dedicated to selling sustainable agricultural practices via its CSR initiative. The venture was informally launched over the last Yasangi season in these districts, and coaching might be offered to farmers over a interval of one other 12 months. IIRR can be growing 12 paddy varieties appropriate for the DSR methodology.

What is Direct Seeded Rice?

Direct Seeded Rice is a technique of rice cultivation the place seeds are sown instantly within the subject with out elevating a nursery and transplanting seedlings. It could be practiced in two most important methods: sowing rice seeds instantly in dry soil utilizing a seed drill connected to a tractor earlier than the onset of monsoon, or sprouting rice seeds and broadcasting them manually or utilizing a drum seeder or tractor-mounted seed drills in moist fields.

According to a senior scientist, in each strategies, seed requirement is just 8-10 kg per acre, almost 8-10 kg lower than conventional transplanting, saving ₹400-₹500 per acre. Additionally, the absence of transplanting reduces dependency on labour, addressing labour shortages and reducing planting prices by ₹4,000-₹5,000 per acre. Since DSR avoids transplanting shock, the crop matures 10 days earlier, offering a chance for well timed graduation of the second crop.