Personal Contact Programme inaugurated
Only 6,632 nuts per hectare were obtained by coconut farmers in Tamil Nadu in 2005.Use of quality seedlings by farmers is to be accorded the maximum priority to ensure higher productivity, P. Santhana Krishnan, Registrar, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, said recently.Inaugurating a Personal Contact Programme (PCP) for candidates of the certificate course on “Coconut Production Technology” under the Open and Distance Learning Mode at the Coconut Research Station at Aliyar Nagar, near Pollachi, he said that productivity could be further enhanced by adopting better management practices, plant protection measures, nutrient management and weed control.“There is a dire need for mechanisation of farm activities as there is acute labour shortage.Under the present circumstances, the modern tree climber developed by the TNAU is certainly a boon to coconut growers”, the Registrar said.He urged the farmers to evaluate the tree climber and give feedback for further modifications.He also advised them to take up value addition and adopt post-harvest operations to improve their income.G. Selvaraj, Director, Open and Distance Learning, TNAU, exhorted the candidates to give attention to practical aspects of the certificate course for better adoption of improved agricultural practices.He hoped that the course would improve their technical competency.
