Farmers of 12 villages in panchayats of Viralipatti, Kottapatti and Eluvanampatti are rearing cattle as lands have become barren due to lack of water for irrigation, said R. Satishkumar, president, All India Kisan Khet Mazdoor Sangathan during the farmers’ grievance meeting held here on Friday.
He submitted a petition, signed by 9,000 villagers, to Collector S. Visakan demanding construction of a sub-channel to divert the excess water flowing from dams like Vaigai, Manjalar and Sothupparai into kanmois in three panchayats. The rains have not fed their local water bodies, he said.
The groundwater level would increase through the channels and it would revive farming activity in the region, he said. They do not get water from even a 1,100 feet deep borewell.
The Collector welcomed the proposal of A. Chinnappan, president, Kodaganaru Vivasaya Sangam to sanction loan with subsidy to start a value added product manufacturing unit-cum-training centre at Anumantharayankottai.
The produce of chickpea growers in Karisalpatti can be converted into value-added products to get an additional income using small-scale machinery, he said. Mr. Visakan assured him of securing him a loan to realise the project.
There is not a single seed in the sunflowers that bloomed this year across the 100 acre farmlands of Manjanayakkanpatti, Vallakundapuram, Koduvaarpatti and Kalipatti villages, said K. Chinnathurai, secretary of Thoppampatti Farmers’ Association who showed rotten sunflowers to the officials.
Around 30 farmers, who procured sunflower seeds from two private agro service centres in Thoppampatti and Kallimandayam, have incurred a huge loss, he said. The Collector assured that a committee would be set up to rectify the issue.
“Last year 1.5 lakh man working days were allotted for workers under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. But only 50,000 man working days have been allotted during the current year when workers are engaged to construct earthen bunds, channels, houses under government schemes. It is difficult to streamline them to take up farming activities, said Additional Collector C. Dinesh Kumar responding to farmers’ requests.
Meanwhile, seven farmers of Pethuparai in Kodaikanal brought bike helmets damaged by an elephant on Thursday night and staged a protest in front of the Kodaikanal Revenue Divisional Office on Friday.
K.V. Mahendran, a farmer, alleged that a lone elephant roaming within a span of eight kilometers between Moongil Kaadu and Jeeva Nagar has destroyed farmlands and killed six people in the past decade.
On Thursday night, the elephant destroyed his solar panel and chow chow farm, said Mr Mahendran for which Assistant Conservator of Forest Sakthivel had assured that solar fencing will be set up after taking up field inspection within a week.
District Revenue Officer V. Latha was present.
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Printable version | Jul 29, 2022 6:21:21 pm | https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/collector-welcomes-farmers-idea-to-set-up-unit-to-manufacture-value-added-products/article65698417.ece