'Training essential to update farmers on technologies'
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, August 25 2022:
A state-level farmers' training programme was organised by the Department of Horticulture and Soil Conservation under the aegis of Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) at Khuman Lampak Youth Hostel, here, on Wednesday.
Speaking on the occasion, MIDH mission director and Horticulture and Soil Conservation additional director K Debadutta Sharma informed that various extension programmes have been conducted under MIDH to encourage the farmers of the state in eluding providing them with seeds and saplings.
However, just the distribution of seeds and saplings are not enough to help the farmers in the production process as they still require a platform to address their curiosity and on the best utilisation of scientific technology.
In this regard, training programmes are being held to educate the farmers about the new technologies introduced in the agriculture sector, he added.
The additional director continued that the training programmes are being conducted for farmers in both the hills and the valley, with appointment of a district officer in each district.
Although the physical training had been suspended temporarily due to the Covid pandemic, it has now commenced and will soon be able to train around 500 farmers in each district.
The programme launched on Thursday is for the farmers of Imphal East and Imphal West districts, he conveyed.
As the winter season will be arriving soon, farmers will be trained on how to plant and produce the winter crops in an organic manner with quality and higher yield and less usage of chemicals.
The farmers will also be informed about the technology to be used in cultivating exotic and high value seeds/saplings in addition to helping to address the technical problems faced through experts during these programmes, he said.
K Debadutta further stressed that farmers should get registered at the office of district level officer concerned to avail the seeds/sap-lings provided by the department.
The officer will then include the farmer in the beneficiary list after proper verification.
After this, the DMCs led by the DCs concerned as chairman will give its list and the beneficiary list will be forwarded to the department, which will then distribute the seeds/saplings to the farmers included in the list.
However, priority for selection will be given to the farmers, who had attended the state level training programme, he conveyed.
ICAR, KVK Tamenglong SMS (Horticulture) Dr RK Roshan spoke on 'Recent advantages in fruit production (dragon fruit, papaya, banana, etc.)'; Horticulture and Soil Conservation, Tamenglong AO CNJS Arangba on 'Ecological Engineering for Pest Management in Agro EcoSystem' and Horticulture and Soil Conservation Imphal West AO Dr AK Somorjit on 'Integrated disease management for winter vegetable crops' as resource persons.
The programme was also attended by MIDH training in-charge and Horticulture and Soil Conservation AAO Bikram Yumlembam; MIDH AAO Deepak Huidrom; MIDH HA E Sanatomba and MIDH AHI L Priyokumar.