The State government has proposed to implement 100 per cent subsidy to small and medium farmers of the district for setting up drip irrigation units for the maximum area of five acres, said Darez Ahamed, District Collector.
For the other farmers, the subsidy would be 75 per cent for the drip irrigation units, the Collector said while addressing the monthly farmers grievances day meeting here on Thursday. He urged farmers to take advantage of this scheme for improving their economic condition.
This year, adequate stock of fertilizer had been kept in all the primary agricultural cooperative societies in the district. The farmers should take steps for procuring the fertilizer well in advance. The government was providing subsidy for setting up demonstration plots for the paddy, corn, pulses, oil seeds, cotton, and sugarcane and for getting inputs and transplantation. The government provided seed subsidy too, Dr. Ahamed added.
Agriculture Department officials said various schemes were being implemented by the department in the district. Representatives of various farmers associations participated in the meeting.
The Collector in a press release said that the government had sanctioned Rs. 50.66 crore to compensate around 1.20 lakh farmers who suffered crop loss because of severe drought conditions prevailing in the district. The work of disbursing the compensation through the 52 primary agricultural cooperative societies was in progress since May 2.
Identity cards had already been issued to all the affected farmers through the VAOs. So far, Rs. 42.15 crore had been disbursed to 94,252 farmers. The distribution work would be completed soon, he added.
Special camps
The agriculture department has proposed to organise special camps to impart training to farmers in setting up drip irrigation system. The camps will be held at the taluk offices in Kunnam and Alathur on May 25 and in Perambalur and Veppanthattai on June 1. Special arrangements will also be made for providing computer generated sitta, land maps, small and medium farmers certificates to the farmers for enabling them to get the subsidy.
Farmers willing to set up drip irrigation units could attend the camps with a copy of the ration card and three passport size photographs, a press release said.
Tiruvarur
A farmers’ grievance day meeting will be held at the collectorate hall in Tiruvarur at 10 a.m. on May 30. District Collector S. Natarajan will preside over the meeting. An official press release urged the farmers and their representatives to take part in the meeting and get their grievances solved.
