Safflower Field Day in Adilabad highlights the crop’s benefits

Safflower gives farmers some options in a dry land crop rotation with respect to weed and disease control, and in using soil moisture available to its deep taproot. This crop is usually grown in rotation with small grains or fallow. Safflower seed contains 25-37 percent oil. Its oil is of drying type with iodine number up to 149 and contains little linolenic acid and high percentage of oleic acid and linoleic acids. Safflower oil is human health friendly and can be blended with other edible oil or can also be used directly for edible purpose. Keeping the importance of this oilseed crop, the ICAR-Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research, Hyderabad in association with Ekalavya Foundation, Adilabad organized the “Safflower Field Day” under the TSP 2018-19 in the aspirational District of Adilabad in Sunkidi village.  

Dr. G. Suresh, Principal Scientist, IIOR highlighted the main objectives of the Tribal Sub-Plan Programme of Government of India. He also underlined the importance of safflower crop’s importance, its scope along with the benefits and value-added products and potential of the safflower crop in Adilabad.

Shri Hari Krishna, CEO of Ekalavya Foundation urged the farmers for forming the farmer’s group/societies for their benefits.

Shri Praveen Kumar, PC, KVK, Adilabad; Shri Rajeshwar Naik, PC, KVK, Mancheriyal; Dr. Rajashekhar, Scientist from ARS, Adilabad also marked their participation in the discussion session with farmers.

The dignitaries along with the visiting farmers were showcased the field demonstrations with the improved safflower variety (PBNS-12) by following best management practices in the demonstration plots of Shri Pandram Srikanth of Sunkhidi village.

A progressive farmer, Shri Sudarshan also discussed and shared his views about the problems and prospects of safflower cultivation. The Chief Guest of the occasion and Scientists of IIOR also distributed the battery sprayers and inter-culturing equipments to the beneficiary farmers.

The event registered a total footfall of about 350 tribal farmers with large number of women farmers.