CHENNAI: The closure or merger of the three Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) institutes in the State will be detrimental to farmers and fisherfolk, said Chief Minister ‘Edappadi’ K Palaniswami in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.
It is learnt that the Centre has proposed to either close or merge with other institutes the three ICAR institutes - Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore, National Research Centre for Banana, Tiruchy, and Central Institute of Brackish Water Aquaculture (CIBA), Chennai.Reacting to the proposal, the Chief Minister said in the letter that the Sugarcane Breeding Institute’s sugarcane varieties were popular not only in Tamil Nadu but also in other States.
Similarly, as for the CIBA, Palaniswami said, “As you may be aware, lakhs of people in Tamil Nadu are engaged directly or indirectly in cultivation of Vennamei shrimp. The continuous support of such a premier institution is essential to sustain aquaculture,” he added.The Chief Minister asked the Centre to issue necessary instructions to continue the operations of the three institutes.