New rice harvestor for Qeledamu Rice Farmers
MEMBERS of a farming community in Macuata are enthusiastic about boosting their rice production following the provision of a rice harvester by the Government.
Farmers part of the Qeledamu Rice Farmers Cooperative have been facing labour shortages for the past seven years, are glad that this issue will be resolved with the introduction of a rice harvester.
Cooperative president, Hiram Prasad, said labour shortages have heavily affected their production over the years, adding that this was because of rural to urban migration especially of younger people.
“It is only the parents who are present in the community and are tending to the farms because our children have all moved to urban areas for greener pastures,” the 57-year-old said.
“Apart from this, there was also the expiry of leases that led to the movement of people which affected labour supply,” Mr Prasad said.
“In this part of Qeledamu, there used to be 25 families, now there is only 10.”
He said rice tonnage too has dropped over the year as compared
to when there was sufficient manpower to work in the farms.
“Since the farms are being attended to by an ageing population, we can only do so much,” Mr Prasad said. “The introduction of a new harvester has given us a new hope that this would mean a higher yield, which means better income.”
“I thank the Government for its commitment towards agricultural mechanisation and I think that this is the way forward especially for community like ours.”
In an earlier statement, the Minister for Agriculture, Dr Mahendra Reddy, said that for the agricultural sector to develop exponentially and at its most optimal levels for sustained growth and development, the need to adopt relevant technology and mechanisation was paramount.
“We need to push for rice to grow but one of the critical constraining factors in rice production and also in other agriculture is technology adoption. Generally, in the rural areas, farmers tend to shy away from technology, from critical investments in technology,” Minister Reddy said. He explained that technology contributed immensely to increased productivity and crop yields which in turn contributed to better returns for any farmer.