KANCHEEPURAM: In a move that would greatly benefit about 1.5 lakh small and marginal farmers in the district, Collector Sivashanmuga Raja on Thursday directed officials to explore the possibility of testing and approving indigenously manufactured winnowing machines for post-harvest work. The direction comes after the agriculture department got an overwhelming number of applications for the machines this year, officials said. They said the winnowing machine, starting at Rs 70,000, was not approved last year, as the test result was found unsatisfactory. This year, a large number applications were received in Kancheepuram district for the machine. “We are in the process of recommending them at least in the late samba (October-November) season,” officials said.Raja, while addressing a meeting of district agricultural officials on Thursday, asked department personnel to look at if the machine could be recommended this year, as the government has already announced 50 per cent subsidy on post-harvest technologies. He also directed the agricultural department to promote the system of rice intensification, which entails growing more rice with fewer inputs. Both these steps are of great significance, as they not only improve yield at a time when the groundwater table is going down due to excessive sand quarrying along the Palar riverbed, but also address issues related to shortage of farmhands.
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