Technology spurs agricultural revolution in three districts

Tech savvy

Farmers in these districts are applying modern technology, even while they undertake agricultural activities in the traditional mode.

One such example is H G Gopala Gowda of Hittalahalli village in the taluk. A pioneer in organic farming, Gowda is cultivating mulberry leaves, used to feed silkworms. He has also won the State Krishi Pandit award.

Gowda cultivates mulberry leaves on 2.5 acres of land with drip irrigation. For harvesting the leaves, he makes use of the Oleomac machine, thereby reducing his dependency on manpower. The machine, manufactured by Ratnagiri Impex Limited, besides solving the problem of manpower shortage also helps Gowda save on wages paid to the labourers.
Many other farmers in Hittalahalli and Kachanayakanahalli are also using the machine to harvest mulberry leaves.

Migration

“Many labourers migrate to Bangalore. This being the case, manpower availability was a major problem,” Gowda told Deccan Herald. Even those who are available demand high wages. The Oleomac machine has come as a boon and solved many of our problems, said Gowda.

To harvest the leaves cultivated on one acre of land, it takes six labourers. At Rs 250 per labourer, their wages come to around Rs 1,500 a day. On the other hand, the expenses on the machine is just Rs 370 a day, including Rs 250 for the labourer operating it and Rs 120 spent on petrol to run it, Gowda says.

The State government is providing 75 per cent subsidy to purchase the machine, while the subsidy in Andhra Pradesh is 90 per cent. The machine, weighing six kg, is user-friendly and also drastically reduces the time taken to harvest the leaves. It is available at all outlets of Agrimart company.