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Saturday, July 23, 2011

‘Certified Sucker Nursery’ scheme helps Tingzey farmers resurrect cardamom plantations

WANGCHUK BHUTIA
MANGAN, 19 July: Forty-five farmers from Tingzey ward of Upper Mangshila in North Sikkim, who had opted for cardamom farming under the “Certified Sucker Nursery” scheme funded by the Spices Board have now started harvesting improved results and are also contributing towards resurrecting large cardamom plantations in the area.
Laksingh Limboo, one of the farmers, while speaking to NOW! informed that he produced 5 quintal of large cardamom last year and also sold more than 4,000 saplings grown at his certified sucker nursery. He shares that he raked in a handsome annual income of more than Rs. 4 lakh. He expects to do even better this year.
Mr. Limboo converted his plantation under the present scheme five years ago and started plucking large cardamom harvest after two years. He is all praises for the Spices Board initiative of bringing such a “fruitful scheme” to the village.

The large cardamom growers at this village are obviously doing under this scheme through which they were introduced to new farming technologies which included cultivation of sucker Large Cardamom by the Spices Board along with the training on rain water harvesting to improve irrigation of the plantations. With disease having hit Sikkim’s cardamom plantations rather hard, the chance to grow suckers of disease free cardamom was god-sent.
A joint inspection of the plantations was conducted by Spices Board and Horticulture Department today led by Senior Field Officer, PT Lepcha and RJ Mondal, Farm Manager, and including Ringzing Bhutia, Field Inspector with the Horticulture Department.
The visiting team found good progress in the area. The farmers have to produce at least 2,000 saplings to reach the target of single unit, for which the Spices Board provides a subsidy grant of Rs. 11,500.
Mr. Mondal informs that the Spices Board has offered the scheme to most of the villages in North District and informed that the saplings produced have even been sourced by the Horticulture Department.

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