Originally Posted by rgiridhar
Hindu BusinessLine 13-AUg-2004
INSPIRED by the Azolla ponds at the Vivekananda Ashram in Kanyakumari, the Managing Director of the Coimbatore District Co-Operative Milk Producers' Union Ltd, Dr A. Subramaniam decided to introduce the technology and tap the potential of this hitherto neglected herb.
It has taken him almost a year to convince the farming community about the wealth of this blue-green algae found in ponds.Calling it a `wonder herb', Dr Subramaniam said "it can both complement and supplement cattle feed, particularly when there is an acute shortage of green fodder. It can also can be used as a bio-fertiliser, a mosquito repellent, in the preparation of salads and, above all, it is a bio-scavenger, for it takes away all heavy metals."
Though the technology is simple and inexpensive, the awareness level is still low and farmers are still reluctant to adapt to it," he said, recalling his efforts at popularising the technique.
While the Vivekananda Ashram pioneered the Azolla cultivation technique, he said "we are only taking it forward. There are over 85 micro ponds and 45 demonstration units in the district".
Dr Subramaniam further pointed out that over 20 farmers had taken to intensive cultivation of Azolla. However, none was into commercial production. The entire produce was for captive use.
The Cooperative Milk Producers Union supplied the inoculants, the plastic sheets and provided training on setting up the Azolla bed.
"The herb multiplies very rapidly. A farmer can harvest up to 750 tonnes of Azolla from one acre. The bed would have to be wet and in the shade."
According to Dr Subramaniam, two micro ponds (each measuring 9 x 6 ft) of feed, per cow, per day was sufficient to increase the milk yield by 30 per cent. "The protein content in the milk is also enriched," he added.
When asked if Azolla alone would be sufficient to feed the livestock, he said that it could only complement and supplement the normal feed. "Only 10 per cent of the body weight of any animal is given in the form of feed and forage," he said.
Whether there was an increase in milk production, he said, "It has increased significantly after introducing Azolla as feed for cattle. The daily production has shot up from 1.21 lakh litres to 1.61 lakh litres in Coimbatore district. We are also selling close to 18,000 litres a day to Kerala." He further added that "the entry of private players has not eroded our share in the market". With 543 Societies affiliated to Aavin, the union is supporting one lakh farm-families in this district. The managing director at Aavin said "nearly Rs16 lakh of urban money was being ploughed back to the farmers on a daily basis".
|