University of Agriculture Sciences introduces seed village programme

University of Agriculture Sciences introduces seed village programme
The Hindu

DHARWAD: The University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad has introduced the concept of "seed village" (beeja grama), under which farmers in select villages are trained in the production of quality seeds required by the farming fraternity.

This is a sure way of involving farmers in the production of scientifically qualified seeds, with a view to meet the paucity of quality seeds, which is the bane of agriculture in India currently, said S. A. Patil, the Vice-Chancellor of UAS.

Dr. Patil was speaking at a workshop on the "seed village" programme and the field day for soya bean seed production, at the University of Agricultural Science here on Thursday.

Under the programme, Dr. Patil said, seed technologists and researchers will visit select villages and give training to the farmers in seed production not only to meet their needs but also those of farmers around him, Dr. Patil said. The "seed village" programme is in operation in eight villages of the Kalghatgi taluk presently, he said. The university will implement the programme in new villages every year to carry this concept to more villages, he added.

Dr. Patil said that the UAS had planned to ensure that 20,000 tonnes of quality seeds are produced in this season.

G. S. Chavan, Director of the National Research Centre on Soyabeans, said that there was a good demand for soyabean in the International market especially in Europe and America, and in demand it is second only to groundnut. Considerable research work has been done on the multifarious use of soya, which is known for its rich protein content.

Around 400 farmers from the district participated in the field day. Two farmers shared their experience on soyabean cultivation.