Tiruchirapalli: At a two-day capacity building training on collective farming, speakers observed that, collective farming would help small and marginal farmers overcome constraints in mobilizing credit, adopting latest technologies and adding value to their produce.
To promote collective farming, the State government has launched an initiative, which envisages pooling of farmers land and resources to derive benefits of large-scale farming.
Collective farming would be encouraged under the initiative and by creating farmers interest groups (FIG), farmers producers groups (FPG) and farmers producer organizations (FPO).
To get the benefit of large scale farming, this will enable small and marginal farmers of FIGs to consolidate their holdings, without changing the ownership of land and resources.
275 FIGs have formed in the district through the Department of Agriculture and 100 FIGs through the Department of Horticulture, said K. Rajamani, Collector, while addressing farmers at the training.
He said that, groups of five FIGs were being integrated into FPGs and 75 such FPGs have been formed in the district. About 7,500 small and marginal farmers would benefit from the initiative in the district. He also urged office bearers of the groups to be role models to the members and work for the welfare of the farming community.
The initiative aims at the increasing their income through collective farming and pooling of resources. With nearly 92% of farmers in Tamil Nadu being small and marginal farmers with limited capacity to mobilize credit, it is imperative for them to adopt latest technologies and add value to their produce.
Joint Director of Agriculture, Uduman Mohideen said, the concept of collective farming has been introduced, so that small and marginal farmers will have better access to credit, technology and marketing.
About two lakh farmers would be organised into 2,000 FPGs during 2017-18 in the State and Each FPG will be provided a corpus fund of ₹5 lakh though NABARD and Small Farmers Agri Business Consortium. Through collective farming 40 lakh farmers are expected to benefit over a period of 5 years in the State, said S. Shanmugam Deputy Director of Agriculture Technology Management Agency.
Source: http://www.thehindu.com/
