PONDA: The Agronomist of Kerala Agriculture University, Dr U Jaikumar has observed that Goa is agriculture-rich and hence Goan farmers should join hands to explore the schemes of buying agro machineries by availing subsidies from the state government.

He was speaking as the chief guest at the ‘Orientation on mechanised rice transplanter’ a demo held for the farmers to be trained to use the transplanter. The event was held at Betki village of Ponda taluka on Saturday.
The secretary for Agriculture, Mr S K Singh, Director of Agriculture, Mr Satish Tendulkar, the Zonal Agriculture Officer (ZAO), Mr Sriram Dhaimodkar and ICR director, Mr M Singh were present. It was organised by the directorate of agriculture in association of the Goa Tractors.
The organisers demonstrated the Yanji Shakti 8-row rice transplanter before the 70-odd farmers from different localities.
Mr Jaikumar said that a 21-day training course can be given to the Goan farmers on the usage of the transplanter at Kerala Agriculture University, as it was done in Kerala, with the aim of educating the farmers and inculcate the importance of these machines in the near future. He said that the transplanter maintains the spacing well and that helps to give good assured yield unlike the traditional transplantation.