Field Visit by CAU

IMPHAL, January 4: Dr N Iboton Dean of Central Agricultural University (CAU) Iroisemba led  a field visit at Haoreibi and Wabagai today to check the condition of the paddy fields ahead of the monsoon season.
The team also included Kh Ibohal, Senior Assistant Professor; P Devakanta President of All Manipur Trend Medicinal and Achromatic Plants Promoters’ Consortium (AMAPCON).

Briefing mediapersons during the field visit at Haoreibi Loukon (field), Dr N Iboton said CAU will be taking up training programs for farmers on cultivation and soil testing.

He also made the point that the problem of water scarcity faced by the farmers of the area can be solved by storing water in the nearby areas of the fields by digging ponds.

“This can be done with the farmers of neighbouring fields voluntarily contributing the required area for a common pond in an area, he continued before adding that this would also helped in short term flood irrigation which would helped immensely during drought like situations,” he said.

P Devakanta said that the Manipur government has neglected the agriculture in the state, which has led to the farmers and the people losing faith in the government. However, CAU and several other related NGOs have helped in improving the condition of agriculture in the state, he said and added that around 200 farmers have already been benefitted through CAU.

He also echoed the Dean and said drought like situations could be averted by maintaining proper canals to pump water from the Imphal River which runs near to the fields.

Proper irrigation system will help whenever there is drought like situation, he added and appealed to the farmers to be hard working which will surely be fruitful.

One of the farmers who was at the inspection spot told the reporters that he had been cultivating his fields for more than eight years and said he used to do double cropping on only 20 hectares of land in the last few years.  However with help received from NGOs and others, he would be doing double cropping at around 30 hectares.

He added due to the lack of any drainage system in the area, he is unable to get proper water even though the Imphal River runs nearby and said with proper drainage sytem and sufficient water engine, the Haoreibi Loukon cultivation could be very productive.

At Wabagai, a cultivator said that with the help of CAU, he earned more than Rs 1.60 lakh in a year from his fields.
The team also visited the first Fibre Centre produced from the banana plant at Singjamei Pebiya Pandit Leikai, which was inaugurated by N Iboton Dean of Central Agricultural University and run by A Victoria after getting training under P Devakanta.

Speaking at the inaugural function, N Ibohal said that it is good to establish such industries for helping in finance and to not to waste the natural product.