'Sahbhagi dhan Seed Day' organized at Cotigao village
'Sahbhagi dhan Seed Day' organized at Cotigao village
'Seed day' was organized on 16th June 2018 at Cotigao village of South Goa district for distributing the seeds of Sahbhagi dhan, an upland rice variety for the tribal farmers through 'ICAR Seed Project' and 'Tribal Sub Plan' programme. Thirteen quintal seeds of Sahbhagi dhan was distributed to 80 tribal farmers along with other inputs like fertilizers and plant protection chemicals so as to cover 30-35 hectare under Front Line Demonstration of this variety. Shri Narendra Sawaikar, honourable Member of Parliament, South Goa, graced the programme as chief guest. Speaking on the occasion, he emphasized on the important schemes available from the central government for the benefit of the farmers. He stressed that ICAR-CCARI Goa is playing a key role in uplifting the livelihood of tribal farmers by way of introducing promising technologies, distributing quality seeds and planting materials and by imparting training. Dr. E.B. Chakurkar, Director, ICAR-CCARI emphasised on the different schemes available under TSP programme for the tribal farmers. The demand for this variety is increasing every year and we are distributing 13 quintals of seeds this year to cover more area under this variety, he added. Dr. Manohara, K. K., Scientist in Plant Breeding welcomed the farmers and highlighted the advantages of Sahbhagi dhan over the traditionally grown varieties like Jaya, Karjat-3 and Jyothi in terms of yield, taste and its suitability for milling. He urged the farmers to involve themselves in community based seed production for getting additional income.
Cotigao panchayat sarpanch Umesh Gaonkar, all the panchayat members and farmer representative Dillan Velip were present on the occasion.