DOUBLING INCOME OF PADDY FARMERS OF TRIPURA THROUGH RAISED AND SUNKEN BED TECHNOLOGY

D. DEY¹*, A. DAS², D. NATH³, S. CHOWDHURY⁴, A. CHAKARABORTY⁵, R. DAS⁶, L. DEBBARMA⁷, P. REANG^8
1ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Khowai, Chebri, 799207, Tripura, India
²ICAR-Research Complex for NEH region, Tripura Centre, Lembuchera, 799210, India
³ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Khowai, Chebri, 799207, Tripura, India
⁴ICAR-Research Complex for NEH Region, Mizoram Centre, 793103, India
⁵ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Khowai, Chebri, 799207, Tripura, India
⁶ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Khowai, Chebri, 799207, Tripura, India
⁷ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Khowai, Chebri, 799207, Tripura, India
⁸ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Khowai, Chebri, 799207, Tripura, India
* Corresponding Author : ddey611@gmail.com

Received : 04-05-2019     Accepted : 26-05-2019     Published : 30-05-2019
Volume : 11     Issue : 10       Pages : 8477 - 8479
Int J Agr Sci 11.10 (2019):8477-8479

Keywords : Doubling farmers income, Tripura, Raise and sunken bed technology
Academic Editor : Dr Zheko Radev
Conflict of Interest : None declared
Acknowledgements/Funding : Authors are thankful to Director of Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute (ATARI), ICAR Research Complex, Umroi Road, Umiam, 793103, Meghalaya, India
Author Contribution : All authors equally contributed

Tripura is a tiny and land locked hilly state of the North-East India with a geographical area of 10492 sq. km and a total population of 36, 71,032 (as per 2011 census).The State Tripura characterized by varied physiographic and climate is endowed with a variety of land use types and agricultural systems. With over sixty percent area under forests and wastelands, the cultivated area is hardly 25 percent. The per capita availability of land is about 0.97 ha. Notwithstanding small arable land resource, the agriculture remains to be main source of livelihood to the people of the state. Rice (Oryza sativa L) is the major crop of the state which covers an area of 2,54,254 ha. Out of total paddy land 19,7502 ha area is under rainfed lowland (77%) and 56,752 ha area is irrigated (23%). The state receives high rainfall during kharif season. The root zone of the most agricultural farms of the region remain saturated or over saturated through kharif as well as rabi season, and farmers can hardly grow any crop other than rice under such situation. The productivity of paddy in the state is low (2.8 ton/ha). Since, rice farming is not remunerative and majority of crop land is under rice farming, doubling the farmers income as per Governments target by 2022 is a major challenge for the state. Under the above circumstances, a package of eco-friendly and economically viable technology for crop diversification and higher economic return in medium and low lands of Tripura is the need of the hour. In earlier study it has been found that rose and sunken bed technology have the potential to increase the net profit of the farmers by modification in field topography through construction of alternate raised and sunken beds which improves physical environment, particularly aeration status of the soil and creates proper condition for growth of crops other than rice. High value arable crops like vegetables, flowers etc. on raised beds and rice, fish during rainy season and pulses or other crops during dry season are the choice on sunken beds for enhancing income of the farmers Besides crop diversification this technology also found to have positive influence on income and employment generation, as well as meeting the nutritional security in changing climate. The technology is mainly suitable for the small holding of paddy lands where drainage is either inadequate or proper drainage is not available.

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