Quite a saving

Two planters for normal and dryland agriculture -one tractor-
drawn and the other animal-drawn
have been developed by scientists
at the Central Research Institute for
Dryland Agriculture, Hyderabad.
Maintaining precision in terms of
depth of placement and uniform
spacing within rows, these planters
can cover two to four hectares (ha)
per day, reducing wastage of seeds
by 20 per cent. Costing Rs 7,500,
1these planters are ideal for sowing
high-value crops like groundnut
and maize. The four-row animaldrawn planter saves up to Rs 600 per
ha in terms of human labour, seed
and bullock utilisation.