Suttur, December 16, 2022: The ICAR JSS Krishi Vignan Kendra, in collaboration with the Agriculture Department, ATM, T. Narasipur, organized the ‘Red Rice Paddy New Variety – KMP-220 Agriculture Field Day’ at Danayakanapura Village, T. Narasipur Taluk. The event was graced by the presence of Sri Dr. Shivalinga Shivacharya Swamiji of the Vatalu Suryasimhasana Math.
During the inauguration, Dr. Shivalinga Swamiji commended the services rendered by the ICAR JSS KVK and acknowledged their efforts in developing new and improved varieties of crops. He highlighted the cordial relationship between the KVK scientists and the farmers.
In her address, Smt. H.V. Divya, Incharge Head and Senior Scientist at JSS KVK, informed the audience that the farmers in the region primarily cultivate the Jyothi variety of paddy. However, this variety is susceptible to diseases and has lower yields. To address this, the Agriculture University in Bengaluru has released the KMP 220 variety as an alternative to Jyothi. Ten farmers from JSS KVK were provided with the new variety, which has demonstrated higher yields, better disease resistance, and lower cultivation expenses. Smt. Divya advised the farmers to select good spikes from the crop for seed sowing in the future.
Farmers Somanna, D.L. Mahadevappa, and Revanna, who experimented with the new variety in their fields, shared their experiences. They reported that the KMP 220 variety is less prone to diseases and yielded twice as much as the Jyothi variety. They achieved yields of 24 to 26 quintals of cereals per acre. They also mentioned that the new variety is well-suited for drum sowing.
Sri Venkatesh, SBI Financial Literacy Expert, informed the farmers about various banking facilities and insurance options available to them.
The program was hosted by Sri Rajanna of the ATMA program, and Smt. Vijayalakshmi, Agricultural Officer at JSS KVK, along with progressive farmers Chinnabuddhi, Puttanna, and others, were present. More than 100 farmers participated in the event and expressed their satisfaction with the KMP 220 variety, noting its resemblance to the Jyothi variety while providing better yields. Some farmers suggested that the height of the crop could be slightly lower. Overall, the farmers were happy with the improved yield potential of the new variety.
