Adieu to traditional paddy transplantation

The farmers in Napoklu have taken up mechanised transplantation technique, to save time and money, and above all, to tide over the shortage of labourers.

The farmers have been bidding adieu to the traditional method of paddy transplantation, to use the drum seeding method at Cheyyandane in Nariyandada Gram Panchayat.

In the past, the villagers used to carry out the transplantation work by helping each other. But, owing to the Covid-19 scare and to maintain social distancing, many had remained away from transplantation of paddy seedlings and have started machine for the sowing.

A drum seeder is a hand-run machine for sowing. Germinated paddy seeds are filled in the drums and the drum seeder is moved on the field. As the drums rotate, the seedlings are transplanted on the field.

It was Ayyappa Yuva Sangha president Totambail Ananthkumar who used the drum seeder machine on a pilot basis on his two-acre paddy field initially and later others followed him.

He said, “50kg of seeds were required for sowing in the past. Under this system 20kg is sufficient. It also helped to save Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 for various other works related to transplantation.”

Farmers Biliyandra Uthappa and Sadashiva said, “The cost of the drum seeders is also not expensive. The moisture content should be less while sowing.”