Sikkim to introduce model farming practices in its field

May 13,  1:46 PM With an aim to rejuvenate the dwindling yield of the Large Cardamom in Sikkim, the largest producer of this spice in the country, the State Government has decided to introduce model farming practices in this field. This will be done in some parts of the North, South and West districts. The model farming practices have been recommended by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and the Spices Board. AIR correspondent reports that A study reveals that the Cardamom farmers in Sikkim are mostly doing traditional farming where almost no manure is used and no weeding is done. Now the State Horticulture Department is going for modern techniques where the emphasis will be on clean farms without weeds, while ensuring proper irrigation facilities during the long dry winter season. On the other hand, the North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation ’NERAMAC’ has succeeded, to a large extent, in ensuring remunerative price by way of auction to the Sikkim farmers for large cardamom. Some eighteen metric tones of large cardamom has been auctioned at fourteen state level auctions held at Rangpo in East district, ever since ’NERAMAC’ initiated the auction of the large cardamom in Sikkim on 16th November 2010. The NERAMAC also plans to set up a two crore rupees E-auction centre at Rangpo for facilitating an online global market for Sikkim’s large cardamom farmers. (AIR)