Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker M. Appavu has fulfilled his promise of sponsoring 1 lakh palmyra seeds to the Department of Agriculture every year as the State government has proposed to plant palmyra saplings across Tamil Nadu under its ‘Palmyra Protection Programme’.
After sourcing the palmyra seeds, Mr. Appavu sent them in two lorries to Chennai on Thursday.
While presenting the Budget for Agriculture in the Assembly on August 14, Minister for Agriculture M.R.K. Panneerselvam unveiled his department’s initiatives for protecting palmyra, the State tree, and propagating it in a big way across Tamil Nadu as the tree is facing extinction due to rapid felling.
As per his proposal, the Department of Agriculture would give 76 lakh palmyra seeds and 1 lakh palmyra saplings at a subsidised cost to 30 districts every year to be planted at vantage areas.
Even as the debate was going on, Mr. Appavu, an ardent lover of ‘pathaneer’ (made from the juice of the palm fruit), promised Mr. Panneerselvam that he would sponsor 1 lakh palmyra seeds to the Department of Agriculture every year so that the department’s plans could easily be translated into action.
