THANJAVUR: The upcoming year will be declared the 'Year of Millets', said Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister MRK Panneerselvam in Thanjavur on Sunday.
Talking to mediapersons after chairing a pre-agriculture budget meeting with farmers of Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai, and Ariyalur districts the minister said to reduce dependence on other States for millets and pulses, the cultivation of the same would be promoted.
It is also needed for nutritional security of the State. Besides, short-term pulses also will fetch good profits for farmers, he added.
Pointing to the "overwhelming response" to the consultative meetings held earlier with farmers from 15 districts through video conferencing and the meeting on Sunday, the minister said that it showed the confidence of farmers on the CM as many of their demands were met in the previous budget.
He added that the agriculture budget this year would also encompass the demands of farmers, including organic farming. Pointing to the increase in paddy acreage to 54 lakh acres from 48 lakh acres in the State, the minister said that the infrastructure for paddy storage is being augmented.
Ahead of the budget, minister Panneerselvam said the farmers have put forth many demands, including supply of farm machinery to tackle the shortage for agriculture labourers, and marketing facilities for their produce.
At the meeting, P Sukumaran, the deputy secretary of Thanjavur district Cauvery farmers' protection association, demanded the government to procure paddy at Rs 2,795 per quintal as is being done by Kerala. He also demanded Rs 10,000 per acre as input subsidy.
P Viswanathan, the State president of Tamil Nadu Tank and River Irrigation Farmers' Association, urged the government to build check dams across the rivers in the State and to repair the sluices of tanks. He also demanded Rs 2,500 per quintal as procurement price for paddy, and the online registration for paddy procurement to be done away with.