THANJAVUR: Welcoming the Rs 75.95-crore special kuruvai package announced by Chief Minister M K Stalin, farmers of the Cauvery delta urged the authorities to ensure the special package is implemented comprehensively, and that the subsidised seeds reach on time.
Under the package that was announced after the release of water from Mettur dam on Monday, 45 kg of urea, 50 kg of DAP and 25 kg of Potash per acre per farmer will be given free of cost to cover a total of 2.5 lakh acres in the delta districts.
Seeds will be given at a subsidy of 50 per cent for a total of 1.24 lakh acres of area. Other announcements include assistance for alternate crops, green manure crops and agriculture machinery such as power tillers, and power weeders. R Sukumaran of Kakkarai said that more farmers would be encouraged by the special package to take up kuruvai paddy cultivation.
Stressing on the comprehensive implementation of the package, Sukumaran picked out instances from previous years in which one fertiliser only was given to farmers instead of three. Such instances should not reoccur, said Sukumaran. A K R Ravichander of Ammayagaram echoed the aforementioned. S Sivakumar, a farmer from Manathidal, referred to fertilisers for one acre per farmer as insufficient.
"Fertilisers should be handed out for at least three acres per farmer," he said, adding that "Seeds at 50 per cent subsidy may not be useful for farmers who have already raised nurseries with groundwater."
"Even those who raised nurseries using canal water, the distribution of seeds under the scheme used to be delayed in the previous years. Hence, the distribution of subsidised seeds need to be expedited this year," Sivakumar urged.