Govt stresses on chemical treatment of seeds

In a bid to raise paddy productivity, Odisha government has stressed on chemical treatment of the seeds prior to sowing and introduction of drought-resistant and flood-prone varieties in calamity-prone Ganjam district in the Kharif season.
At least 10 per cent increase can be ensured in the yield if the seeds are chemically treated before use, according to state's chief secretary Gokula Chandra Pati.
Pati, who was here recently to review different projects of the district and strategy for Kharif-2015, asked agriculture officials to create awareness among farmers to use the seeds with chemical treatment. The government supplies the chemicals meant for treatment free of coast to farmers.

Chances of attack of insects and disease in plants is minimised when the seeds are chemically treated, chief secretary said. He also asked the officers to introduce the seed varieties suitable for water-logging and drought situation under the seed-replacement scheme.
Swarna Saguana - a new variety of paddy will survive in water-logging for around a fortnight, while Sahabhagi, another variety is identified as the drought-prone paddy seed, agriculture officials said.
Use of these two varieties of seeds was assumed significance as the district was experienced with the natural calamities like drought, flood, and cyclone and prolonged dry-spell every year.

"We had experimented with these two varieties of paddy seeds in the district last year," said Sudarshan Mohanty, deputy director of agriculture (DDA), Ganjam.

He said they had stocked around 4,500 quintals of Swarna Saguana, around 1000 quintals of Sahabhagi at present. They would indent more quantities of such seeds, he added.
Mohanty said agriculture officials have already conducted the awareness camps in different villages to suggest the farmers for chemical treatment of the seeds before use. Agriculture officials would reach out to farmers during the Kharif season to advice for chemical treatment of seeds and for seed replacement, he stated.
The district planned to grow paddy in over 2.22 lakh hectares during this Kharif. The target of productivity is 43 quintal per hectares. Last Kharif, around 2.24 lakh hectare was covered under paddy and productivity was recorded at 40.78 quintals per hectare, DDA added.