CHENNAI: With a view to turn dry land into a fertile area to promote agricultural activities and improve livelihood of farmers depending on the mercy of monsoons, as many as 200 clusters are to come up in 25 districts in Tamil Nadu, under the Mission on Sustainable Dryland Agriculture (MSDA).
The components of the mission are baseline survey, formation of village-level farmer’s clubs, capacity building, entry-point activities, land development activities, agronomic interventions, assistance for value addition, assistance for custom hiring centres and animal husbandry activities. “The MSDA will be implemented in a period of four years in 25 districts. The total project cost is Rs 802.90 crore,” V Dakshinamoorthy, Director of Agriculture, told Express.
He added, “For current financial year, Rs 175.16 crore will be spent for implementation of the project’s first phase, which was set under motion last year.”
The project is expected to give a big boost to cultivation in rain-fed areas, where most millets, pulses and oil seeds are grown in the State. During the current financial year, 200 clusters of land — each consisting of 2,500 acres — will be established to promote farming activities, for which farmer’s clubs at village panchayat level were constituted.
So far, 837 farmers' clubs have been formed, of which 158 were registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act, 1975.
To effectively implement the programme, cluster development teams and block level teams have been established, besides creating 125 master trainers to impart technical knowledge at the State level, and 1,000 officers at the district level. About 44,000 farmers are being given training at cluster and village levels.
As many as 274 entry point activities will be taken up under MSDA, which includes creation of water harvesting/storage structures. “As part of the entry point activities, water conservation structures, farm ponds, percolation ponds and check dams will be constructed,” Dakshinamoorthy said. The farmers, forming part of the clubs for dry land agriculture, are being given subsidies for various farm activities, including ploughing, seeds and micro-nutrients.
Entry point activities for 400 clusters to be formed in the next financial year will be carried out during the current year under MSDA, except seven districts — Chennai, Thiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Nilgiris, Nagapattinam, Theni and Kanniyakumari.
Of the total project cost, the Centre contributes 60 per cent, while the rest is shared by the State government.
The custom hiring centres, proposed to be set up in the dry land clusters, will help develop entrepreneurship among unemployed rural youngsters. Farm machinaries will also be made available in these centres.
