Innovative Sugarcane farming practice boon for Odisha farmers

[Nemani Chandrasekhar]

Innovative Sugarcane farming practice boon for Odisha farmers

Friday, January 13, 2012 http://orissadiary.com/CurrentNews.asp?id=31380    Report by OrissaDiary.com bureau; Bhubaneswar:Farmers cultivating Sugarcane in a new innovative method called Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative (SSI)in Nayagarh, Ganjam and Baragada shared their experience in recently concluded State Level Workshop on Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative(SSI)organized by NIRMAN and AgSri in Bhubaneswar.  In traditional method of sugarcane cultivation, farmers spent Rs. 12,000 per acres whereas in SSI the cost of cultivation in seed declines considerably. In the new method of SSI Farmers only take the bud of sugarcane and raise it in nursery and transplant in the field. In the new SSI method Farmer’s not only save Rs. 12,000/- per acre in Seeds but also save in water, labour and at the same time get a bonus from intercropping as the practice gives spaces between rows and plants. NabaKishor Das 48 yers old farmer of Khairapati has earned Rs. 5200 from intercrops and Rs. 26000 from sale of buds to other farmers. The SSI method was introduced by NIRMAN a grass root organization working in Nayagarh. The organization has simplified the method suit to local conditions The raw cocopith has been experimented for nursery raising and organization has been successful in it resulting farmers cost in nursery raising reduced to 12 to 24 %.  During last 10 years, sugarcane production in Odisha has been declining around 50% of production & productivity level is less than 32 tones/ha which is less than the national average of 40 tonnes/ hectare. The requirement of water in the sugarcane is 2000 to 3000 litre for producing 1 kg of Sugarcane. The cost of cultivation in seeds, manures, labour traditional method of sugarcane farming is more. SSI aims to provide practical option to farmers in improving the productivity of land, water and labor. It responds to organic manure as well.  Hence SSI reduces overall pressure on natural resources and contributes to recovery of ecosystem. Shri Aurobindo Behera, IAS, Member Board of Revenue, Mr. Ambika Nanda, State Program Officer, UNDP, Shri G.N. Mohanty, Jt. Director, Agriculture, Dr.P.K.Nayak , Prof Radhamohan, environmentalist, Mr. Prasant Mohanty of NIRMAN participated in the workshop. Prasant Mohanty, of  Nirman presented the experience of SSI in the workshop followed by experience sharing by farmers cultivating SSI. Successful farmer Shri Nishakar Pradhan from Ganjam, Shri Duryodhan Champatray of Nayagarh and Shri Dhaneswar Sahoo from Baragada were awarded in the function. More than hundred farmers from various dist participated in the state level workshop on SSI.  One of interesting innovation by NIRMAN was use of raw Coco pith with manure mixed are being used in nursery raising otherwise it would have cost more for procuring processed cocopith. The participants in the workshop opined that  Govt. should take the learning of successful experiment of SSI and upscale it in big ways. More than 100 farmers participated in the workshop.