MADURAI: With kuruvai cultivation in full swing in Madurai district after water was released from Vaigai dam on June 2, farmers are fast adapting to the drum seeding for planting paddy which they say saves a lot of money. The method involves pulling a machine — three plastic drums mounted on two iron wheels — that drops paddy seeds in a row.
Unlike conventional planting — the lengthy process of raising a nursery and transplanting seedlings which requires a lot of manpower — drum seeding can be handled by a single worker. “In modern day agriculture, we don’t make much money and every penny saved augments our revenue. If I profit 4,000 to 4,500 an acre in paddy cultivation, drum seeding helps me double it to 8,000 or 9,000 because I don’t spend so much on planting,” says Arulpragasam, a farming community leader from Thuyaneri. “At least 80% of planting in this season has moved to drum seeding method in Madurai district,” he says. In Madurai, cultivation is on at Alanganallur, Vadipatti, Madurai East and West taluks.
