Stressing on the importance of uplifting agricultural activities in the State, Minister for Agriculture S.S. Krishnamoorthy encouraged farmers to adapt new technologies and support research carried out in the sector which would benefit them.
He was addressing the inaugural of the ‘Vivasaya Thiruvizha 2015’ jointly organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Agricultural College and Research Institute (AC &RI) Madurai, supported by the State government.
Mr. Krishnamoorthy further announced the allocation of funds for AC & RI as part of their golden jubilee celebrations to improve their infrastructure and facilities. “Based on a long standing request from the college, Rs. 1.9 crore has been sanctioned for the construction of a new auditorium. For the improvement of infrastructural facilities for students Rs. 3 crore has been allotted, Rs. 3.2 crore has been allotted towards the construction of quarters for visiting farmers and researchers and an additional Rs. 3 crore has been sanctioned towards building more research labs and creating more facilities,” he also said.
The Agriculture Minister, along with Minister for Cooperation Sellur. K. Raju, Mayor V.V. Rajan Chellappa, District Collector L. Subramanian and MLAs A.K. Bose and M. Muthuramalingam released a special souvenir to mark the occasion.
M. Rajendran, Director of Agriculture emphasised the need to adopt practices involving lesser use of chemical fertilizers. “In Tamil Nadu, it is estimated that farmers use more than 250 kilos of urea per acre. The State government has drawn a number of schemes for farmers to adopt bio-fertilizers and green manure which should be focussed on,” he said.
A host of conference sessions on inputs and techniques, value addition and marketing and technological advancements will be organised during the three day ‘Vivasaya Thiruvizha’ which will go on till January 25, said Rohini Sridhar, chairperson of the CII Madurai zone.
