DSR cultivation gaining traction in Khammam

Khammam: An age-old practice of direct seeded rice (DSR) cultivation, which was relinquished by farmers in the past, has been gaining traction again in the district. Thanks to the efforts being made by the State government in promoting the practice, more farmers in Khammam district are adopting the cultivation practice that offers multiple benefits.

The district now tops the State in DSR cultivation as the method gained popularity among farmers. Of the 2.5 lakh acres of land under paddy cultivation, the crop is cultivated in about 20, 647 acres of land in 21 mandals of the district using the DSR method. In Vemsoor paddy in 7, 689 acres is cultivated using direct seeded rice method, followed by Penuballi with 2, 447. The paddy cultivation employing DSR method doubled this year as in the year 2020 the method was used in 10, 000 acres of land.

DSR also called broadcasting seed technique, an alternative way of sowing paddy and all the rice grown in the country a hundred years ago was through DSR. Countries where paddy is a major crop have been gradually shifting to DSR, a senior agriculture scientist, Dr. R Uma Reddy said. Wyra Krishi Vignan Kendra (KVK) Coordinator, J Hemanth Kumar told Telangana Today that the farmers in Khammam have been using the method for the past six years and in recent years more farmers showing interest in it.

In DSR method pre-germinated seeds can be sown in a puddled soil (wet seeding) or prepared seedbed (dry seeding) through broadcasting (scattering seeds) or through drum seeders. Conventional transplanting rice (TPR) seedlings from a nursery planted in puddled fields and it is labour and water intensive. In DSR a farmer can save Rs 8 to 10 thousand per acre and seeds required will be 8 to 12 kg while TPR method needs 25 to 30 kg seeds, Hemanth Kumar noted.

District Agriculture Officer, Vijaya Nirmala said the department has been organising programmes at Rythu Vedikas to create awareness among farmers about direct seeded rice method. And that helped to double the crop area under the DSR method. Now Khammam farmers are attracting the attention of farmers in other districts. A farmers team led by Panchayat Raj Minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao visited Sadasivinipalem in Sathupalli mandal in the district in August to learn about direct seeded rice technology.

“Direct sowing method for cultivating paddy is proven cost effective and gives high yield. Farmers need to adopt it as it is the best way to overcome labour shortage and ever increasing input costs “, a model farmer Ch Satyanarayana of Sathupalli said.

File photo of Minister P Ajay Kumar, Rythu Bandhu Samithi convener N Venkateshwar Rao broadcasting seeds in a field creating awareness about DSR cultivation in Khammam.

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