Chennai: Rs 50 crore allotted to grow pulses in drought-hit areas
The state agriculture department has sent proposals to government to conduct demonstration in an area of 60,000 acres in the potential districts.
Chennai: In the wake of paddy and sugar cane crops failing due to drought, the state government has passed orders sanctioning Rs 50 crore to cultivate pulses in drought-hit areas.
“There is a shortage of black gram and green gram and these crops can be grown with less water unlike major crops. This will help the state to fight drought and address the current financial stress of farmers,” a senior official said.
In the current context of drought, the existing water table does not encourage the cultivation of water intensive crops such as sugarcane, paddy and other commercial crops in the state. Hence, the agriculture department has resolved to promote cultivation of pulses crops wherever sufficient ground water is available through adoption of various technologies including water saving techniques. Special sprinklers and rain guns will be provided for the farmers, the official explained.
The state agriculture department has sent proposals to government to conduct demonstration in an area of 60,000 acres in the potential districts. The project will be supported under the national food security mission and water saving techniques will be adopted in the identified areas.
The state has identified as many as 17 districts and major areas to be covered under the project will be in delta districts including Thiruvarur, Thanjavur and Nagapattinam.
The director of agriculture in his proposal said that during 2016, the state recorded overall deficit of 40 per cent rainfall against the normal rainfall of 921 mm. Particularly during North East monsoon period against the normal rainfall of 440 mm (48 per cent of annual rainfall), the state received only 168.3 mm with a deviation of (-) 62 leaving 21 districts large deficient and 11 districts deficient rainfall. Due to deficit rainfall, the state has been declared as drought hit.
The receipt of poor rainfall leads to a shortfall of around 15.58 lakh acres in the total crop coverage and a minus of 1.013 lakh acres in pulses when compared to last year, the government order read.
The director of agriculture has stated that black gram and green gram are the major short duration pulse crops cultivated in Tamil Nadu. About 20 per cent of pulses crop is cultivated during Kharif and 80 per cent during Rabi season. The major area is under rain fed condition and that too, in marginal lands, the productivity is low in pulses, the order added.
