The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Farmers need information on market conditions: Minister

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 07, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Farmers need information on market conditions: Minister

By Our Staff Reporter

COIMBATORE, JUNE 6. The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University released nine crop varieties, including of sugarcane, cotton, cumbu, ragi and betelvine, during the Farmers' Day celebrations here today.

The Agriculture Minister, P. Annavi, who released them, asked farmers to opt for high-yielding, low-cost and minimum water-consuming crops. As globalisation introduced several changes in agriculture, knowledge of crop production alone was not enough. Farmers needed information on market conditions, price fluctuations and crop planning. They must also be familiar with post-harvest technology, food processing, value-additions to harvested produce, creation of cold storage facilities and cultivation techniques for high-value crops such as kattamanakku and vanilla. Farmers must take up measures to recharge the groundwater level and store floodwater.

Five rural cooperative associations were provided with computers, which gave information on 118 varieties, cultivation practices, integrated fertilizer management, crop protection, water management and harvest.

During 2001-02, fruit crops cultivated on 2.3 lakh hectares yielded 42 lakh tonnes of produce at Dharmapuri, Dindigul, Vellore and Theni districts. Mango, banana, gauva and lemon were some of the important crops. In 2002-04, mango, gauva, sappota, cashew, nelli and lemon were cultivated on 8,500 hectares. During 2003-04, horticultural crops were raised on 15,000 hectares.

The Commercial Taxes Minster, S. M. Veluchamy, urged farmers, who benefited from the university programmes, to share information with others.

The Animal Husbandry Minister, P. V. Damodaran, said that even ragi, cumbu and cholam, which were once popular, were disappearing from the Coimbatore region. He requested scientists to develop crops, which would flourish even in severe drought condition.

The Vice-Chancellor, C. Ramasamy, said agricultural practices were changing fast with the accent on `scientific farming', `eco-friendly farming' and `commercial farming'. At a time when marketing on the Internet was becoming a reality, farmers must consider value-addition to their produce. Contract farming could be done for cotton and maize. The concept of precision farming could determine the exact amount of water, pesticides and fertilizer needed.

Stressing rainwater harvesting, he said it was necessary to protect soil nutrients, which were responsible for the high yield. Bacteria, fungi and micro-organisms in the soil were vital for the health of growing crops and a decrease in their population could have an adverse affect on output.

The university conducted certificate and diploma courses to help farmers learn modern techniques, he said.

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