Thanjavur farmer shows the way with use of power sprayer for direct sowing of paddy

A 36-year-old farmer’s enterprising attempt to use power sprayers for direct sowing of paddy is fast catching the fancy of farmers across the State.

A 36-year-old farmer’s enterprising attempt to use power sprayers for direct sowing of paddy is fast catching the fancy of farmers across the State.

For S. Vengadesh, a farmer of Govindanallur in Papanasam taluk in Thanjavur district, it was an idea that occurred to him when he saw a power sprayer lying in disuse at a friend’s house about five years ago.

“Farmers generally use power sprayers only for applying fertilisers and pesticides. But as I was facing difficulty in getting enough workers to work on my field, I thought why not try and use it for sowing. It turned out to be a success and I found the germination and growth of the seeds to be good, uniform, and faster than manual sowing. There was uniform spacing and my crop looked as good as transplanted nurseries,” says Mr. Vengadesh.

Gradually, Mr. Vengadesh started doing it for a few farmers around his village, who found it to be quick and efficient process. He takes just 15 minutes to complete the sowing on an acre whereas it could take about two to three hours if done manually.

More importantly, it helps farmers save substantially in terms of quantity of seed and labour cost. “Generally, farmers use about 30 kg of seeds per acre. But I use only about 12 kg of seeds for an acre if it is fine paddy variety. For common variety, about 15 kg would be required. However, this could vary depending on the field condition,” says Mr. Vengadesh.

An Agriculture Officer in Tiruchi said that apart from savings in seeds cost, the method cuts down substantially on expenses incurred by way of nursery management, transportation, and transplantation of the nurseries under traditional cultivation methods. But levelling the field and weed management are important under the method, he said.

Mr. Vengadesh’ s venture has turned into a thriving business, fetching him good supplementary income. As farmers from across the State seek his expertise, he now owns 10 portable power sprayers and employs eight persons, all trained in using the machines, to travel across the State to carry out the sowing.