A number of farmers in the Tiruvannamalai District are now experimenting with an unconventional method of paddy cultivation. Early results report that conventional methods on a 10 acre farm which previously yielded 2.4 tonnes of paddy an acre are now producing 3.3 tonnes of paddy an acre.
This increase is a result of Tegra seedling technology developed and patented by Syngenta, a Swiss company with a model farm in Vandavasi, Tamil Nadu. In this process paddy seedlings are grown in a tray in a special media comprising straw, soil, nutrients etc. Thereafter the seedlings continue their growth in a nursery and are replanted after 15 days into the paddy field, with a special transplant machinery. Once transplanted the seedlings take root and begin to grow.
This increase is a result of Tegra seedling technology developed and patented by Syngenta, a Swiss company with a model farm in Vandavasi, Tamil Nadu. In this process paddy seedlings are grown in a tray in a special media comprising straw, soil, nutrients etc. Thereafter the seedlings continue their growth in a nursery and are replanted after 15 days into the paddy field, with a special transplant machinery. Once transplanted the seedlings take root and begin to grow.
The technology costs Rs 75 a tray and an acre requires 70 trays. The cost includes Syngenta Company growing the paddy seedlings chosen by the farmer (or considered appropriate for the area). The Company then transplants the cultivated seedlings in the farmer's field with special machinery and thereafter offers counsel until harvest.
Officials at Syngenta have pointed out that their system is not the same as the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) as SRI is done manually while Tegra technology is done mechanically.
Officials at Syngenta have pointed out that their system is not the same as the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) as SRI is done manually while Tegra technology is done mechanically.
