ITANAGAR, 5 Jan: Agriculture Director Karbom Riram, along with Deputy Director Balung Mengu, District Agriculture Officer Nitum Riba, and other officials of Arunachal’s agriculture department visited Rajasthan from 29 January to 2 February to study innovative ideas and technology initiatives for farming and income-generation, particularly using micro-irrigation system like the drip and sprinkler irrigation system.
The team, accompanied by Rajasthan’s agriculture commissioner and joint directors of the department, visited the Centre of Excellence for Date Palm, India’s largest date palm farm, in Sagrada Bhojka in Jaisalmer.
The team, escorted by Rajasthan Horticulture Joint Directors Drs Rajendra Singh and Mahendra Jain, also visited Pegas Bashedi, a cluster of villages adopted by the Rajasthan’s agriculture department, in Jaipur.
These villages practice a cluster approach towards agricultural activities. “Even though Rajasthan is known to have scarcity of water, in Pegas Bashedi, every farmer has adopted micro-irrigation approach to farming, using drip and sprinkler irrigation method of fertigation for the crops, where water soluble nutrients are applied along with irrigation water,” Naharlagun-based agriculture directorate informed in a release.
Progressive farmer Roshan Yadav led the team to his farm, where he has built three large polyhouses for roses, cucumber, and capsicum under the Rajasthan agriculture department’s Protected Plantation Scheme.
“This is a scheme under which a polyhouse measuring 2,000-4,000 sq ft with drip lines system, a foggers ventilation unit, and a rainwater harvesting structure is provided,” the release stated.
Riram advised his team members to “replicate and incorporate such schemes or plans in the department’s proposals as a pilot project in Arunachal Pradesh, as it could be extremely conducive for a variety of crops like king chilli, tomato, and cucurbits on a large-scale in less area.”
He also suggested conducting more such exposure visits for officers and progressive farmers of Arunachal “to exchange knowledge and new technologies,” the release said.
