State Government was committed to agriculture and farmers’ development, said Minister for Urban Development and Agriculture R. Vaithilingam at the 45{+t}{+h}Foundation Day and Open and Distance Learning Graduation Day at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University here on Wednesday.
Education and agriculture were the two focus areas of development of the Government. To boost agriculture, the Government had given Rs. 5,500 crore in interest-free loans to farmers. It had fought hard to increase to 148 feet the height of the Mullaiperiyar Dam and distributed Rs. 40 crore worth inputs.
Minister for Municipal Administration S.P. Velumani said that the Government had provided 100 per cent subsidy for small and marginal farmers for installing drip irrigation system and 75 per cent for other farmers. The State Government’s initiatives resulted in increase in yield and it getting the Krishi Karman Award. Agriculture Production Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni asked the agriculture scientists to work hard to ensure doubling paddy and pulses production and tripling millet production.
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Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Vice-Chancellor K. Ramasamy said that the Government had sanctioned four new agriculture colleges, which would increase the number of agriculture/horticulture graduates passing out and working for improving production.
He sought need-based regional centres of excellence to take up further research.
Agriculture Director M. Rajendran, Coimbatore Mayor P. Rajkumar and others participated in the function.
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