Agriculture Knowledge Center (Jhapa Krishi Gyan Kendra), Jhapa is experimenting with new technology to make paddy (rice) farming more cost-efficient and straightforward.
The new technique is being tested in two places in Gaurdaha Rural Municipality and one in Kamal Rural Municipality in the district, AKC chief Sagar Bista said.
“With the objective of reducing the cost for rice production, we have started trial farming using technology”, he said, “What will be the outcome remains to be seen.”
“In the current state, farmers won’t have more option but to quit it. High farming costs and no guarantee of a good market value could lead to farmers only making subsistence production in the future,” he opined.
Also read: Digital Kisan Help Center established in Jhapa, to help farmers | Geo Krishi app
Chharuwa technology for rice production will make rice farming easier
Chharuwa technology will help farmers with making beds for seedlings, plucking out, and planting them eventually reducing the overhead costs for farming the staple grain.
The technology involves the use of a “drum seeder” which plows the land and sows the seedlings. The rice plants which were sown for the trial have grown already, Bista shared.
Check out: The Krishi Farm App lending its Help for Farmers in Baglung
Smart krishi growing
While Nepal’s agriculture remains rooted in outdated practices, there are glimpses of transformation. The use of technology from modern hardware to social media and agriculture-related apps is helping farmers with new methods of farming. The skills of repatriates and government-funded projects are reinforcing the idea of modern and “smart krishi” in Nepal.
Let’s just hope that technology and knowledge become accessible to more people at an affordable cost.
