Farmers take centre stage at Indian Science Congress

Bengaluru: In a bid to overcome the farm labour problem, a Tamil Nadu farmer has come up with a simple solution, a mechanical weed extractor, while a Maharashtra farmer has developed a low-cost onion storage unit in which produce can be stored in dry conditions for at least a year.

Another farmer couple from Sikkim traveled for more than 100 hours to reach here to display their  Sikkim chilly pickle which has turned into a major attraction at the Indian Science Congress exhibition.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle on the sidelines of the Farmers Science Congress, organised as part of Indian Science Congress here, a farmer from Karur district in Tamil Nadu, S. Duraisamy, said that the mechanised weed extractor which he invented is the result of years of effort, as labour cost involved in extracting weed has become very high. So, he decided to invent the simple equipment which costs not more than Rs 1,000 per unit if produced in large numbers.

“I have named it Balaram Weeder. I intentionally used the name Balaram because, in the epic, Mahabharata, Balarama, Lord Krishna’s elder brother who is considered an avatar of Garuda, is associated with ploughing,” he explained.

Duraisamy added that this detachable equipment is not only light weight, but can effectively clear weed from a quarter of an acre of land in just four hours by deploying a single labourer.

Doma Sherpa from Sikkim has brought ‘red cherry pepper pickle’ which was a huge hit and sold out in a few minutes after her stall opened.

“Our life changed after we started integrated farming. When we took up the red cherry pepper pickle project, we did not know that it would be a huge hit. We are able to send this product from Sikkim across the country, wherever the North-East community lives in large numbers. They love this pickle,” she said gleamingly, with her 5-year old son and husband by her side.

In another innovation, a farmer from Baramati in Maharashtra has developed a 600 sq.ft large storage house, which can store the onion crop in dry conditions for a year.

Inaugurating the Farmers Science Congress, biotechnologist Dr Trilochan Mohapatra, who is director general of  ICAR, said that his organisation will make all out efforts to ensure that the Farmers Congress is a part of all forthcoming Indian Science Congress.