2 days ago
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Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday said that the Centre and Tamil Nadu government should work together in paddy procurement to the benefit of farmers in the State.
He was responding to reporters’ query on whether any decision was taken related to the Tamil Nadu government’s request to Centre, to relax the permissible moisture content for paddy procurement from 17% to 22% due to rain. “We should not blame each other (Centre - TN government). Instead, we should work together. In paddy procurement, the Centre has never done as much procurement as it has done before. The MSP (Minimum Support Price) of paddy has also been increased to give a fair price to the farmers, he noted.
The Minister was here as part of the ongoing Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan (VKSA) – a nationwide campaign that celebrates India’s progress in agriculture and reaffirms the collective resolve of ‘One Agriculture – One Country – One Team’.
He interacted with farmers at ICAR–Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) here where farmers highlighted the need to provide MSP for organic farming. “The practice of providing free seeds for organic farmers should be restored after it was stopped a few years ago. Also, adequate training for farming in organic methods of cultivation should be given regularly,” said P. Jothi, a farmer.
Mr. Chouhan said that the Tamil Nadu government should identify eligible farmers in the State to enroll them in PM-Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PM-DDKY) and other Centrally sponsored schemes that will benefit farmers. In this regard, he said that he will write to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to prepare a list of eligible farmers, who can be added in the scheme as beneficiaries.
The former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister noted that being a pulse-deficient State, Tamil Nadu should focus on increasing overall production in pulses through various centrally-sponsored schemes, using improved varieties, management technologies, processing, and cent percent marketing. He also appreciated pulse varieties released by National Pulses Research Centre of TNAU.
The Minister assured affected farmers that an expert team from his Ministry will soon conduct a field study on pests and disease faced by coconut farmers in the region. “The Centre will also explore the possibility of establishing, promoting, and processing industries for mango to make it remunerative for farmers,” he said.
On the occasion, P. Kumaravel Pandian, Director, Department of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, R. Thamizh Vendan, Vice Chancellor, TNAU, and Shaik N. Meera, Director, ICAR- ATARI (Hyderabad), were present.
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