Minister urges farmers to use technology

Riding high: Agriculture Minister Veerapandi S. Arumugam operating a paddy transplanter at Sivadapuram in Salem on Sunday . Tourism Minister N. Suresh Rajan (standing) looks on.

SALEM: The Government will provide machines to harvest sugarcane to all the 19 co-operative sugar mills in the State. A sum of Rs. 21 crore will be spent for purchasing the machines, Agriculture Minister Veerapandi S. Arumugam has said.

Participating in two different functions held in the district on Sunday, the Minister said that the Government was promoting the use of machinery for cultivation as the agriculture sector was facing labour shortage. The use of modern technology in agriculture would help improve the agricultural productivity of the State.

The farmers should not hesitate in using technology for cultivation, harvesting and various other activities.

Handing over subsidy to farmers who purchased paddy transplanters at Sivadapuram, the Minister said the machines would speed up the paddy transplantation and require fewer workers.

The Government was providing Rs. 4 lakh as subsidy to purchase the eight row type paddy transplanter, which costs about Rs. 16.54 lakh.

Farmers could get loans from co-operative and nationalised banks for purchasing the machines. The Minister disbursed subsidy to the tune of Rs. 25.14 lakh during the function in Sivadapuram.

He also handed over vehicles purchased at a cost of Rs. 76.05 lakh to marketing committees at a function held in Uthamachozhapuram here. Transport Minister K.N. Nehru and Tourism Minister N. Suresh Rajan also spoke.

Collector J. Chandrakumar presided. Agricultural Marketing and Agri Business Commissioner Atul Anand, Agriculture Production Commissioner and Secretary K. Nanda Kishore, Tamil Nadu Agriculture University Vice-Chancellor P. Murugesa Boopathy, Chief Engineer (In-charge) from Agricultural Engineering Department R. Subramaanian, Mayor J. Rekha Priyadarshini and senior officials were present.

Earlier, on Saturday, the Minister inaugurated the buildings constructed at Mallur Government Higher Secondary School and new office of the Mallur Town panchayat.

The Government constructed 22 classrooms and a laboratory in the school at Rs. 93.48 lakh.

The work was taken up with financial assistance from the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Mr. Arumugam said after inaugurating the buildings.

A sum of Rs. 20 lakh was spent for the construction of a new office for the Mallur town panchayat, he added.

The Minister also declared open six buildings constructed under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan scheme and four library buildings.

He also laid foundation stone for the construction of a new building for primary health centre in Thumbalpatti village under the National Rural Health Mission.

The Minister also presented cash rewards to two students - P. Vidhya, who secured first rank in the higher secondary examinations in the Mallur GHSS and Sridhar, who bagged first rank in the SSLC examinations in the school.

Collector J. Chandrakumar, who presided, said Rs. 15 crore was received as assistance from NABARD for constructing buildings in 16 schools in the district in the last three years. Senior officials were present.