Giving an assurance to look into the grievances of farmers, Collector P. Madhusudhan Reddy said on Friday that the official machinery would redress them within a reasonable time.
Farmers’ grievance meeting was held online after a long time. Officials from various departments were present and farmers were requested to participate from the nearest block level agriculture offices.
At the meeting, the Collector said encroachments in water channels leading to fields would be addressed. “By next month, when we meet, there would be a solution”, he said.
Farmers urged him to ensure that fertilizer stock was sufficient. Some farmers complained about dealers increasing the price. The Collector assured to take action if they give specific details.
“When storage levels in Periyar dam and Vaigai dam reach the maximum levels, the district will get its share of water for irrigation and the coverage area in the district will increase,” he said.
After some farmers wanted to know about the arrangement for disbursal of loans, officials said that from Monday onwards, farmers can approach the respective panchayat union offices and give particulars through applications, which would be collected till December 10. After processing them, the loans would be disbursed, they added.
The Collector said that he had given directions to the revenue authorities to issue certificates such as ‘adangal’ to farmers without any delay. The VAOs have been told to help farmers seeking such certificates as they may be required to get welfare assistance from the government.
When farmers complained about the need to control fall armyworm attack, officials said that they would certainly take pro-active steps and offer the best pest control management practice.
The farmers were told to adapt to modern technology available in the Uzhavan App, which can be downloaded on their mobile phones. This may help them not only understand the weather forecast in advance, but also facilitate in providing vital information about the crop pattern and among others, the Collector said.
