Andaman and Nicobar Islands

The islands spread over 0.7 m ha area have hot per-humid tropical climate, hilly undulating topography and interspersed valleys. The soils are moderately deep, acidic and low in fertility. The cultivated area is only 5% of total geographical area. The land use is dominated by plantation crops such as coconut, arecanut, oilpalm, coffee and rubber. Pineapple, tapioca and pepper are grown as intercrops in rubber plantation. Rice-rice and rice-pulse are important cropping systems. Suggested interventions for natural resource management for agriculture in the state are as follows:

� Site-specific nutrient management to increase rice productivity

� Salt tolerant varieties like CSR 23, CSR 27, CSR 36

� Water harvesting for supplemental irrigations

� Integrated farming system involving rice, coconut, pig, fish, poultry and goat

Rice

These islands have 11,000 ha area under rainfed rice, and average productivity is about 2.7 tonnes/ha. The major constraint in production is soil salinity. The technological interventions suggested are:

� Use of salt tolerant varieties CSR10, CSR13, CSR27 and long duration high-yielding varieties

  Swarna, Mahamaya

Coconut

Coconut is cultivated in 25,600 ha with a productivity of 3,402 nuts/ha/year (20 nuts/palm/year). The potential yield of palm is 120 nuts/palm/year. Reasons for low productivity are lack of adoption of�integrated farming system approach and soil and moisture conservation measures. Scope exits for increasing the production in the state by adopting the following technologies/interventions:

� Adoption of watershed-based integrated coconut-based farming system

� High-density multispecies cropping system with coconut, pepper, ginger and tree spices

� Improving quality of copra using modern dryers

Farm Tools and Equipment

� Pregerminated paddy seeder

� Cono weeder

� Wire-loop/axial flow thresher

� Vertical conveyor reaper

� Coconut climber and dehusker