The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Tiruchi News : Seed cleaner-cum-graders sanctioned for Tiruchi

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Wednesday, Jul 01, 2009
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Seed cleaner-cum-graders sanctioned for Tiruchi

Special Correspondent

Farmers can now get quality seeds locally at the right time

Photo: M.Moorthy

BOON TO FARMERS: Collector T. Soundiah inspecting the seed cleaner-cum- grader machine at Agricultural Extension Centre, Musiri, in Tiruchi district on Tuesday. —

TIRUCHI: Two seed cleaner-cum-graders have been sanctioned for Tiruchi district under the National Agriculture Development Programme (NADP).

While one of the machines has been installed at the Agricultural Extension Centre at Musiri, the other would be installed at Nerkuppaipudur.

The installation of the modern machines, each costing about Rs.3.63 lakh, would come as a boon to farmers of the respective areas as they could now get quality seeds locally at the right time, Agriculture Department officials said.

Collector T. Soundiah, who inspected the machine at Musiri on Tuesday, said the machine would handle one tonne of seeds an hour.

Two mini-machines were functioning at Manachanallur and Nerkuppaipudur.

However, farmers had to incur transport costs to take their paddy and other seeds from remote villages to Manachanallur to be cleaned, graded and certified.

The installation of the machine at Murisi would be of great use to farmers in Musiri, Thathaiyengarpet, Thottiyam and Thuraiyur areas, Mr.Soundiah said.

Farmers of the region have also welcomed the installation of the machine at Musiri.

“This would save us a lot of time and money spent for transporting our seeds to distant places,” said P.Ayyakannu, a farmer of Musiri and general secretary, Bharathiya Kisan Sangh.

Joint Director of Agriculture N. Ponnusamy said the machine at Musiri would become operational within the next few days after a trial run by the manufacturer of machine. The other one at Nerkuppaipudur would also be installed soon.

The automatic machines can process seeds of any crop and even private companies can use them for grading the seeds and get them certified. Farmers would be charged 0.40 paise a kg for processing the seeds.

Officials said that entrepreneurs could avail of a subsidy of upto Rs.7.50 lakh for setting up similar machines, along with the entire infrastructure of building and other equipment which would cost about Rs.21 lakh.

But no application has been received so far for availing of the subsidy.

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