joined hands with prisoners at the Central Jail here on Tuesday to
plant paddy shoots, under a project to promote farming on
wasteland.The prisoners will plant and tend to the three acre-farm
inside the jail premises. The paddy seeds will be sourced from the
seed farm at Chirayinkeezh. The project named 'System of Rice
Intensification' has been launched by the Department of Agriculture to
enhance productivity and revive paddy farming.The government will
provide an assistance of Rs.4,000 per hectare. The farms set up under
the project will need only eight kg of seeds per hectare as against 80
to 100 kg in other fields. The department claims that the yield would
also go up significantly.Addressing a function organised to mark the
inauguration of the project, the Minister said the new system of paddy
farming was aimed at converting all the wasteland in the state into
paddy fields. He said demonstration plots would be set up in 250
hectares across the State.Mr. Ratnakaran added that moves were on to
promote vegetable farming among prisoners.V. Sivankutty, MLA, presided
over the function.
The Hindu, 17th December 2008
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