KRISHNAGIRI: A total of Rs 60 crore has been earmarked for processing, making value addition, and marketing of harvested pulses. A special red gram zone was announced at Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Salem, and Thiruvannamalai districts.
P Devarajan, a farmer, said though the announcement is welcome, the government should procure the products. “We are selling to private players at a meagre rate, and many of us are unaware of the subsidy. During cultivation, we have to depend on agents to get fertilisers,” he said.
CPM farmers wing district secretary in Krishnagiri, C Prakash said the announcement will be beneficial for drought-hit districts like Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri, where many cultivate rainfed crops. Tamizhaga Vivasaigal Sangam president, KM Ramagounder, expressed his happiness on the announcement of the special red gram zone.