more-in Two potential farmers have created a record of sorts by raising paddy seed farms for the first time during summer when farmers in this arid district abstain from all farming activities for want of water. K. Vazhimegam and P. Sangeeth Kumar who had been cultivating sugarcane at Neivayal in Thiruvadanai block, bordering Sivaganga district, for nearly 10 years, raised the seed farms of TKM 13, CO 51 and NLR 34449 varieties and the crops were ready for harvest. When they wanted to change the crop pattern, the agriculture department suggested that they could raise seed farms, utilising the ground water potential in their area and they came forward to help the department augment the seed stock. P. Raja, Personal Assistant to Collector (agriculture), who inspected the farms along with U. Ambathkumar and M. Packiaraj, Agriculture Officers, said the crops were in an advanced maturity stage and they could be harvested in a week. Mr. Vazhimegam has cultivated TKM 13, a fine variety, on an extent of 18 acres while P. Sangeeth Kumar, next to his field, raised CO 51 and NLR 34449 varieties on five acres each. Though the transplantation took place during the peak of summer in May, the paddy crops braved the searing heat and successfully crossed the crucial flowering stage. A single panicle has more than 200 grains and the yield could touch 2.5 tonnes per acre. “We have raised the crops by following the guidelines of officials and we are happy to join the elite club of seed producers,” the farmers told The Hindu during a field visit on recently. As the officials insisted on line planting, Vazhimegam brought workers from Tiruvarur district. Both the farmers faced no problem in irrigating the crops thanks to copious groundwater source, pumped through borewells. Collector S. Natarajan, who visited the farms recently, commended the farmers for taking the risk of raising the seed farms during summer and helping the department in distributing quality seeds. S. S. Shaiek Abdullah, Assistant Director, Seed Certification, said that after procurement, the CO 51 and NLR 34449 varieties would be directly given ‘certified seed’ tag after testing, while the TKM 13, introduced for the first time last year, would be raised again as foundation stage II seeds before it joined the certified seed tag chain.

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