NEWS ARTICLE ON VERMICULTURE

Vermiculture unit aims at holistic organic projects for dairy farms.

A vermiculture unit has been set up by Korgao Collective Farming Cooperative Society under a corporate social responsibility project of Goa Shipyard Ltd. implemented by Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) under the technical support of Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) at Korgao village in Pernem taluk of north Goa.

The project includes distribution of Jersey/HF (Holstein Friesian) cows to the members of the society along with small-scale vermiculture units to convert dairy waste into high value vermicompost. The project also includes creating facility for green fodder production using hydroponics, said Hiralal Prabhudesai, Subject Matter Specialist of ICAR.

Standardised method

The vermiculture technology has been standardised for small and marginal farmers by the KVK. The 12x4x2.5 ft tank can hold approx one tonne of dairy/farm waste, weeds, grass and other materials, and the waste is converted into vermicompost through earthworms, yielding about 600kg of compost within 45 days. The farmer could have five-six harvests per year yielding three to 3.5 tonnes of vermicompost valued at Rs. 30,000 to 35,000 per unit, said Mr. Prabhudesai.

ICAR researchers say the potential benefit of the technology for farmers was immense since non-availability of quality organic manure was a major concern.

Atla Bala Venkata Reddy, in-charge of TISS project, mentioned that the stakeholders of the project would be facilitated by creating market linkage with the Goa State Horticulture Development Corporation Ltd. for marketing and promoting the sale of vermicompost through its Statewide network of vegetable outlets. He wants the State government to provide 50 per cent subsidy on purchase of vermicompost from the Horticulture Corporation, which would promote the concept of organic farming.

With GSL funding, 77 cows have been distributed in the year 2012-13. For the current financial year, GSL sponsored purchase of 150 cows and also an hydroponic unit to produce quality green fodder – to increase the milk production – and 10 biogas units. The project promoters have received requests from various panchayats of Pernem taluk to promote this comprehensive model.

Community benefit

The vermicompost project launched in August has so far benefited 10 dairy farmers of Korgao and Ibrampur villages and more than two tonnes of vermicompost was ready for harvesting and marketing, Mr. Prabhudesai said.

In another similar initiative in south Goa, under the agri-co-op project at Canacona in south Goa, the GSL has sponsored in tribal villages 56-60 units of vermicompost and two permanent structures of vermicompost, motors, pumps, barbed wire for fencing, among others, in a bid to promote vegetable cultivation over an area of 30 to 50 acres for 2012-13. In 2013-14, it will promote Honey-Bee-Keeping and mushroom cultivation.

“The aim is to have an area of 50 to 60 acres under vegetable cultivation, and in future, to aim to turn the entire Goa’s vegetable cultivation into fully organic in a few years on the lines of States of Sikkim and Bhutan,” Mr. Prabhudesai said.

Source: the hindu October 30, 2013