Stakeholders Meeting Conducted by Agriculture Department in Erode

The Agriculture Department has listed as priority areas creation of infrastructure for propagating progressive farming, popularisation of improved varieties in maize and ragi, establishing farm ponds and strengthening of veterinary services in the block-level plans for Anthiyur, Ammapettai, Bhavani and Perundurai.

Important areas in a meeting of stakeholders conducted at the Seed Processing Unit at Bhavani here recently are creation of contour bunding, establishment of bio-control units, solar fencing, increasing mobile veterinary services, machine planting, mobile sprinkler, popularising use of combined groundnut harvester, and bio fertilizer units.

The discussion of priority areas for devising District Agricultural Plan involved participation by officials of Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry, Forestry, and Agricultural Engineering departments, and scientists of Agriculture Research Station, Bhavanisagar.

Feedback on need-based requirements was obtained from farmers for arriving at the priority areas, according to K. Duraisamy, Professor and Head, ARS, Bhavanisagar. He said, Infrastructure creation for facilitating farm/crop-based industries for holistic development of villages was a vital requirement in the 12th Five Year Plan.

The district-level plan would completely reflect the village level problems and realistic needs, said P.S. Thirumoorthy, Joint Director of Agriculture.

R. Sundaresan, former Professor, Agricultural Economics, explained the scope for technological interventions, and J. Venkataprabu, Professor Agricultural Extension, ARS, Bhavanisagar, discussed modalities for preparing block-level plan.

Assistant Director of Agriculture, Bhavani,R. Savithri said, the meeting consolidated individual ideas and inputs of 50 farmers and a host of officials for modernising agriculture and allied sectors, and attuned them to Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s Vision 2023 requirements.

Source http://www.thehindu.com/