The Agricultural Marketing and Agri Business Department has completed around 90% of the work in setting up a seed processing unit in Chellampatti block for the use of a Farmer Producer Organisation.
Deputy Director C. Vijayalakshmi said the unit, with a capacity to process 500 tonnes of seeds, was being constructed at a cost of ₹60 lakh. While the construction of the seed processing unit had been almost completed, work was under way at the adjacent godown. This unit would be run by members of Farmer Producer Organisation in Chellampatti with 1,000 farmers as members.
Ms. Vijayalakshmi said seed farms would be set up in Chellampatti and Usilampatti blocks. “Mainly paddy and pulse seeds will be raised at the farms and processed at the unit,” she added.
The seeds from the farms would be tested and certified by an official of the Seed Certification Department. Certified seeds fetched many benefits to the farmers, said N. Muthu Kumara Sivasankaran, Chief Executive Officer of the FPO. “First, the farmers will be able to procure quality seeds at a comparatively lower cost from other members of the FPO. The excess seeds can be sold in the market for a good profit,” he added.
Mr. Sivasankaran said the FPO planned to process seeds from private companies by charging them a fee.
