Page:SELECTED ESSAYS of Dr. S. S. KALBAG.pdf/201

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be an alternative to a moped at less than half the cost and offering many other advantages. Mopeds and other two wheelers are rapidly increasing in popularity but none of the services are available. The bullock cart is not an efficient system. If we get rid of the bullocks we will have more fodder for the milch cattle. But today the bullock cart is essential. A pair of wheels for the bullock cart cost Rs. 2000 and more. But the axles are not standardized. Steel wheels of identical size cost half the price, but they are not widely available and the skill of making a wheel is not as common as the wheel itself. The pneumatic wheeled cart is at par in cost with the conventional, but air and tube services are not common. Mechanisation of the "bullock" cart is possible and viable but workshop services need to spread fast. Agriculture: Pump sets; pesticide spray pumps, tractors, and many other mechanical devices are quite common but suffer from lack of services. Systems like drip irrigation are capable of simplification and wider application. In water scarcity areas, the opportunity cost of water is very high. The economics of intensive green house cultivation of vegetables should be explored. Protection of farms and forestland is an important need. Fencing is quite expensive. Even live fences are difficult to grow and maintain. Electrical fence controllers need to be explored. Nursery operations need investigation to improve rate of multiplication. Use of hormones and chemical regulators is not fully exploited. Hybrid seeds also need many services. All these give opportunities for employment generation. There are enough indicators to show the possibilities. The storage of grains and the packaging of fruits and vegetables < Rural Development Through Education System 188