As the State strives to achieve its target of 115 lakh tonnes of foodgrains production this year, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Sunday ordered construction of 50 modern godowns to help farmers to store their agricultural produce until the grains fetch a good price.
A government press release said these godowns to be constructed at a cost of Rs 85 crore would have weighing machines, weighing bridges and moisture testing equipment. The godowns would have a combined storage capacity of 17,000 tonnes, with parking facilities for lorries.
Though the government had taken steps to increase the per capita income of the farmers by ensuring that they got a remunerative price for their products, farmers sold their products immediately after harvest to pay back their crop loans. Moreover, there was no storage facility for them to park their produce until prices went up.
“This leads to their selling the grains when the prices are low. The government wants to help them store the grains till they get a good price. This will ensure that the prices do not go down during harvest and also will not increase, when there is a demand,” the release said.
