MADURAI: With kuruvai cultivation in full swing in Madurai district after water was released from Vaigai dam on June 2, farmers are fast adapting to the drum seeding for planting paddy which they say saves a lot of money. The method involves pulling a machine — three plastic drums mounted on two iron wheels — that drops paddy seeds in a row.
Unlike conventional planting — the lengthy process of raising a nursery and transplanting seedlings which requires a lot of manpower — drum seeding can be handled by a single worker. “In modern day agriculture, we don’t make much money and every penny saved augments our revenue. If I profit 4,000 to 4,500 an acre in paddy cultivation, drum seeding helps me double it to 8,000 or 9,000 because I don’t spend so much on planting,” says Arulpragasam, a farming community leader from Thuyaneri. “At least 80% of planting in this season has moved to drum seeding method in Madurai district,” he says. In Madurai, cultivation is on at Alanganallur, Vadipatti, Madurai East and West taluks.
Drum seeding relieves farmers of the task of finding the work force to raise nursery, pluck the seedlings and transplant them. “Even if we are ready to pay, where are the workers in the villages? It is difficult to gather dozen workers for farming now,” says Karuppannan from Thoppalampatti village. Another advantage of the method is that the yield is ready for harvest at least a week ahead of schedule as the conventional planting requires 15 to 30 days for the nursery stage. In drum seeding, it starts sprouting on the fifth day. “Since we can harvest a week early, it helps us get some margin before the regular harvest starts flooding the market,” says Baskaran, a farmer from Mela Kallandhiri.
However, in drum seeding, the farmer has to be alert about the timing of weeding. Weeds are common in both methods but the plant and weed grow together in drum seeding. “If the weed is not removed in time, it gets stronger and untimely rain may thwart the weeding process,” says farmer Ramachandran from Poondi village.
Joint director of Agriculture Vivekanandan said drum seeding has been in vogue for the last two years but it has become popular of late. “Farmers are adopting drum seeding because it is beneficial to them. The method is widely adopted now,” he said. Yet, it may be a bit complicated in double crop areas when a farmer decides to go for a different paddy variety in the second season. The farmers use combined harvester machine and the stems of previous crop also start sprouting when they use drum seeding for the second season. “Drum seeding is more apt for the first season in a double crop region as well as at single crop region,” added Arulpragasam.
