News
Farmers find mid-season yields in successful green gram crop
Paddy cultivators in the Puttalam District have reaped a bumper green gram harvest in the middle of the Yala and Maha seasons.
Mrs Tharangika Shyamali, Deputy Director of Agriculture, Puttalam District said they cultivated acres of green gram this year in paddy fields. The sowing of green gram in paddy fields, with minimal or no land preparation after the paddy is harvested, is known as stubble (Ipanella) green gram cultivation.
“Five farmer organisations contributed to this. Farmers spread seeds on the stubble field just after the paddy harvest,” she added.
The programme was successfully carried out in the Mylankulama, Thenuwara, Pradipagama, Pavattamaduwa, Thambapanni and Ihala Puliyankulama areas of the Tabbowa Division.
During the inter-season, green gram cultivation is done using soil moisture that remains after paddy cultivation. The MI 6 variety matured uniformly in 55-58 days is used for this purpose, said the Deputy Director.
Fertiliser application is quite less in this cultivation, as the remaining manure in the paddy field is used for cultivation without the use of additional fertilisers; the need for water is also less based on the moisture of the soil.
The main objective of the cultivation is to get maximum benefits from the paddy fields that would otherwise be abandoned for months. At first, farmers did not pay much heed to this programme. Eventually, with the assistance of the relevant agrarian officers, this programme became fruitful.
Farmers used to cultivate only in the Yala and Maha seasons leaving fields abandoned the rest of the year. The phases in between the two main seasons are called mid-season, which is a two-month period. The mid-season cultivation is not practiced by farmers in the Puttalam District successfully.
Funds have been allocated under the “Saubhagya Supplementary Food Crop Promotion Programme” and could be obtained for Rs 235 per kilo through the Department of Agriculture, along with instructions to cultivate. They were able to provide 7,500 kg of green gram seeds to the relevant farmers.
Yields range from 250 to 450 kg per acre. It is also noteworthy that farmers are able to sell their harvest for a good price at approximately one kilogram at prices ranging from around Rs 400.
Due to the cultivation of green gram as an additional crop, farmers were able to earn an income of approximately Rs 100,000 per acre.
The programme was initiated under the supervision of the North Western Provincial Director of Agriculture Mr P Sisira Kumara
and the Puttalam District Secretary
Mr K G Wijesiri.