Protest Against Rice Transplanter
The Mahatma Gandhi Ashram at Annamalai has protested against the recent introduction and demonstration of the Japanese-made Yanmar Rice Transplanter (Model VP6) by the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. A release from M. Ranganathan, Managing Trustee of the Ashram, expressed discontent over the fact that the equipment had been imported from a small country like Japan to India, which is one of the most populous countries in the world.Trustee of the Ashram expressed discontent over the fact that the equipment had been imported
“More than 65 per cent of the people are living without even the basic facilities. There are a large number of farmers whose sole source of income is by working in the fields. With such equipment being introduced, their jobs will further get depleted. Will the Government be able to give them alternative jobs?,” he added. Voicing his dissent against mechanisation of farm labour, he said if the transplanter was introduced, farmers should come together to protest against it. He also said that the Ashram would support the farmers in their cause.
