Horticulture students of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru College of Agriculture and Research Institute, Karaikal, have lent their support for implementation of Chief Minister's Rural vegetable Production Programme (CMRVPP) in villages in Thalaignayiru block by distributing seed kits.
They provided a kit containing bhendi, moringa, amaranthus, tomato, chilli, brinjal, avarai, bitter guard, pumpkin, bottle gourd and ribbed gourd as well as a kg of organic manure to farmers under the supervision of Deputy Director of Horticulture, Nagapattinam, Manivannan and coordination of S. Anandkumar, Associate Professor, PAJANCOA & RI.
The exposure was important for a group of 21 final-year students.
Earlier this year, the State government had sanctioned ₹ 3 crore to implement the scheme in all panchayats through the Tamil Nadu Horticulture Development Agency. The scheme envisages encouraging production of vegetables by residents and farmers in rural areas in their houses or a portion of land. The target is to cover 100 farmers in each panchayat.
The priority scheme was conceptualised factoring in huge gap between recommended consumption of vegetables and actual consumption especially in rural areas. Through this scheme, 12 lakh vegetable seed kits are distributed with 100% subsidy to every panchayat.
Earlier this month, another group of 19 final-year students conducted a sensitisation programme at Kathiripulam in Vedaranyam block to highlight the significance of optimal use of night soil. The farmers need to be told that nutrient value of human faeces is much higher owing to consumption of energetic food consisting of fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy products, Prof. Anandkumar said.
