CHENNAI: Agriculture Minister MRK Panneerselvam on Tuesday instructed the establishment of a special monitoring cell at the Directorate of Agriculture to oversee and respond to the day-to-day issues of farmers, including those related to pests, fertiliser availability, and other agricultural concerns.
He also instructed officials to maintain an uninterrupted fertiliser supply, prevent forced sales of additional products, and stock adequate quantities in advance.
The Minister said this while reviewing the steps taken to ensure an uninterrupted supply of fertilisers on Monday.
Based on the Chief Minister MK Stalin’s request, the Union government has allotted an additional 12,000 metric tonnes of urea to Tamil Nadu ahead of the northeast monsoon, expected to begin on October 16.
Panneerselvam also directed the Tamil Nadu Cooperative Marketing Federation (TANFED) and the Thanjavur Cooperative Marketing Federation (TCMF) to maintain sufficient fertiliser stocks at cooperative outlets in line with the Samba (Rabi) season requirements.
He also instructed them to verify stock positions by matching Point-of-Sale (PoS) data with physical stock records, form monitoring teams for this purpose, and appoint representatives to ensure continuous supervision of fertiliser movement from railway terminals to cooperative depots.
The District Joint Directors and Deputy Directors (Quality Control) of Agriculture have been instructed to monitor stock positions daily at every retail outlet, ensure timely replenishment, and immediately restock outlets facing shortages.
The Agriculture Minister also directed the officials to identify and resolve any cultivation difficulties faced by farmers, monitor stock levels to prevent fertiliser shortages, and ensure sufficient supply for the next two weeks without delay. Referring to the favourable cultivation conditions, the Minister instructed officials to estimate future requirements of fertilisers, seeds, and other inputs in advance and submit detailed demand reports.
The Minister pointed out that special inspection squads of the Agriculture Department have conducted surprise inspections at 14,383 wholesale and retail outlets, warehouses, and fertiliser plants across Tamil Nadu. Based on the Fertiliser Control Order, as many as 1,409 violations were detected, and necessary action was taken.
Panneerselvam stated that Tamil Nadu has set a target of 55 lakh acres for paddy cultivation this year, with 12.33 lakh acres already harvested during the Kuruvai and Sornavari seasons, and 10.35 lakh acres under cultivation for the Samba season.
Over four and a half years, 1.86 lakh free electricity connections have been provided to farmers, expanding cultivation by 3.62 lakh acres.
