SRI symposium starts in Tripura

Agartala, Oct 3: State Agriculture director of Tripura Shibnarayan Sen today said Tripura has set a unique instance in India and abroad by adopting the System Rice Intensification(SRI) method of paddy cultivation.

This method increases the yielding comparatively within a minimum period, he added while speaking at a three-day national symposium on 'Growing Rice with Less Resources' here today where 18 scientists from five countries, including the US and 186 agronomists, including agriculture chiefs of 11 major rice producers of India have participated.

Tripura"s performance in SRI method practice, needing minimum seed, fertilisers and labour with maximum yielding capacity and encouraged other states as well as other countries to follow suite.

Paddy cultivation in Tripura was possible on 50-60 hectares of contiguous land through the SRI method whereas the figure was only 2-3 hectares in other states.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar inaugurated the symposium at State Institute of Public Administration and Rural Development this morning organised by state agriculture department along with a number of national agencies.

The symposium had been organised with a view to enhancing crop production methods and monitor achievements of paddy in Tripura through System Rice Intensification(SRI) and different issues of the cultivation will discuss in five different sessions.

At least 11 scientists from Bangladesh, three from Vietnam, two from the US, Bhutan and Morocco and one from Netherland have participated in the sessions on paddy cultivation through the SRI method. Besides scientists from other SARRC nations and the European Union would expected take part in remaining part of the seminar.

UNI