Imphal, March 10 2009: The Integrated Pest Management (IPM) method of cultivation Tuesday once again emerged with a success story when farmers got bumper harvest in growing mustard under the guidance of the IPM team comprising experts of the state agriculture department and agricultural scientists of the Central Agriculture University (CAU) Imphal.

Farmers of Maklang in Imphal west district harvested mustard seed at the average of 1300 Kg per hectare.

According to the deputy director (agriculture), Ph Rajendro, the average yield is much higher than that of national yield of 1040 kg per hectare.

The additional director, department of agriculture Phalendro, deputy director, state planning department, Samu Kabui who conducted a field visit to the IPM Model Seed village today also witnessed the bumper harvest.

The two officials were there with the IPM team for investigation to the quality of the mustard seed of the Model Seed village so that it could be bought by the government and stored for supply as certified seed to the farmers of the state in the next season.

Sample of the seed collected from the field will be tested and the finding will be discussed by the state level seed certification committee.

If the seed be found to have possessed the quality that required for certification, the additional director said.

He and deputy director, planning are the members of the state level seed certification committee.

Agricultural scientists of the CAU also taught the farmers on the treatment of seed for storing for next season.

Deputy Director (agriculture) Ph Rajendro said that the department will buy the seed from the farmers and keep in the department store for supply to the farmers in the next season.

He said that this will save huge funds which the department is spending in buying seed every year.

The farmers of the Maklang area who formed a group named, Nongchup Imphal Loumi Sinmi Choukhat Lup with technical knowhow imparted from time to time by the IPM team grow mustard oil seed to 250 hectares of field this year as rabi crop.

They grew M-27 variety of mustard on experimental basis with the assurance of all kinds of help needed by them by the IMP tram.

With the harvesting process is nearing completion, they calculated the yield per hectare today in front of the visiting officials.

From the on spot calculation, it comes to the conclusion that the average yield per hectare will be 1400 kg.

Heavy with bumper harvest, a farmer said from this season he came to know that if his fields which remained empty after the main rice harvest be filled with crops suited with the fields, he could earn lot of extra income.

The secretary of the Nongpok Imphal Loumi Sinmi Lup said that they are estimating to earn an income of around Rs.1.50 crores, which they never expected before.

He also called other farmers of the state to come out and grow crops suited with their fields during the rabi season too and share their contribution in improving the socio-economy of the state.

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