PUDUKKOTTAI: For Vasantha Ganesan, a 32-year-old farmer at Ponnamaravathi taluk in the district, the third time was the charm as she was conferred the C Narayanaswamy Naidu Award by Chief Minister MK Stalin for achieving the highest yield of paddy through the System of Rice Intensification, during the Republic Day celebrations in Chennai on Thursday.
Her parcel of land at Aalavayal returned a yield of 14,551.25 kg of paddy/hectare to claim the award that entails a cash award of Rs 5 lakh, besides a medal and a certificate. According to agriculture department sources, 38 farmers were selected in the state level for the annual award for 2022-2023.
Achieving a yield of 14,551.25 kg/hectare, Vasantha claimed rights to the award that was constituted in 2020 by then CM Edappadi K Palaniswami. Vasantha’s husband Ganesan P said, "We had been trying for the award for the past two years. Having learned from past mistakes, we won this time." Of the six acres of paddy cultivation in her land, Vasantha earmarked one hectare for the competition.
Feeling honoured by the award, Vasantha called it a “huge recognition” for a woman farmer like her. “My grandfather was a great farmer. I spent my childhood with him learning many things. Both my parents are farmers as well, they taught me farming," she said. She also credited her husband for “maximum support”.
"My husband was along with me in the fields. My father-in-law’s profound knowledge in farming also contributed to the victory," Vasantha said. The award is a recognition for women who are hardly perceived as farmers, she added. On the challenges she faced Vasantha said, "Protecting our paddy from insects was challenging.
However, we had the support of agriculture department officials who provided us with suggestions to handle pest attack. We took care of the paddy round the clock. My husband and I are very attached to the land." On Vasantha’s success, an agriculture department official said she was receptive to suggestions and showed the curiosity to understand the latest developments in paddy cultivation.