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Extension activities of ICMF-CDRA in Gujarat

E-Tex Staff - Mumbai

The Indian Cotton Mills Federation’s Cotton Development and Research Association - ICMF-CDRA is implementing a pilot project in Gujarat as an extension programme to educate cotton growers about new techniques of cotton cultivation. In a communication to Dr D N Shelat, secretary (agriculture), government of Gujarat, Mr P D Patodia, chairman, ICMF-CDRA highlighted the salient features of the project. Mr Patodia opined that the association was fully aware of the yawning gaps in the transfer of production technologies to cotton growers and the programme under implementation has been designed to accommodate these problems.

The new project, aimed at the cotton season 2004-05 is being implemented under the expert guidance and supervision of B.A. College of Agriculture, Anand. The project coverage, according to the chairman, extends over 16 talukas and 194 villages in six districts.

The project will cover 3,000 cotton farmers of which about 300 cotton farmers will be provided with intensive training. In order to closely monitor the problems of cotton farmers on a regular basis and to provide spot guidance, trained agricultural graduates have been appointed as scouts. The project has become operational since August 2, 2004.

The project will be supervised by Dr N S Chauhan of B.A. College of Agriculture and Dr D J Patel, former principal of B.A. College of Agriculture. In his communique to the Gujarat agriculture secretary, Mr Patodia also mentioned in brief the efforts made by ICMF-CDRA in the propagation of modern techniques of cultivation through the distribution of booklets and posters. The association has printed 5,000 booklets and 2,000 posters. Arrangements have been made to distribute them to the farmers covered under the project. The pilot project proposes to organise four training programmes at taluka head quarters to train about 100 cotton growers. The chairman reviewed the features of the ICMF-CDRA extension activities during the cotton season 2003-04.