Tamil Nadu - Madurai   

224 soil testing centres to be set up: Minister

MADURAI: The State Government will set up 224 small soil testing centres (STC) under the National Agriculture Development Programme during the year, the Minister for Agriculture, Veerapandi S. Arumugam, said.

Inaugurating a training programme for STC and Agriculture Information Centre (AIC) here at the Tamil Nadu Agriculture College and Research Institute, Mr. Arumugam said that only 35 centres were functioning in the State.

“These centres have the capacity to test only 5.5 lakh samples where as there are 80 lakh farming families,” the Agriculture Minister said.

Stating that the Government has taken an in-principle decision to set up 385 centres at the block level, initially 224 would be established this year.

The State Government has got employment opportunity for 739 agricultural graduates and 454 post-graduates in many industrial units and banks. Besides, the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission conducted tests to select 520 persons for the post of Agriculture Officer.

In order to impart knowledge on agriculture to students, a total of 200 agricultural graduates have been appointed as teachers in Government schools, the Minister said.

Stating that the Government was providing Rs.3 lakh subsidy on Rs.6 lakh loan for setting up Agri Clinics, with STC and AIC in rural areas by Agriculture Graduates, the Minister urged the graduates to do proper testing of soil health and recommend appropriate crops and fertilizer for them to help the farming community.

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