KALLAKURICHI: The Farmers’ Grievance Day meeting, organised by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, was held at the collectorate here on Friday under the chairmanship of District Collector M S Prasanth.
Addressing the gathering, Collector Prasanth said, “As per the Tamil Nadu government’s directive, grievance meetings are conducted every month to address farmers’ concerns and provide solutions.”
During the session, several petitions and requests were received from farmers and farmers’ associations. These included demands for setting up a maize procurement centre, establishing government drying yards with subsidies, ensuring disbursal of cane incentive by private mills, constructing compound walls for agriculture offices, and checking the germination capacity of maize seeds.
Sources said that farmers also sought crop loans for tapioca cultivation, supply of vegetable seedlings through the horticulture department, fixation of MSP for paddy at regulated markets, and a drying yard at Vilambar village. Other demands covered infrastructure facilities such as roads, wholesale markets, closure of a Tasmac outlet at Semangoor village, school compound walls, repairs to check dams, eviction of encroachments on lakes, mini sub-stations, and afforestation projects.
Farmers further appealed for measures to tackle monkey menace, construction of check dams across the Gedilam river, road widening, strengthening of lake bunds, provision of water tanks, new bridges, and issuance of land pattas.
The collector assured that all relevant officials had been instructed to take prompt action, particularly with regard to removing encroachments from water bodies.
The meeting was attended by District Revenue Officer R Jeeva, Joint Director of Agriculture V Sathiyamoorthi, officials from various departments, farmers, and representatives of farmers’ associations.