CHENNAI: Agriculture Minister MRK Panneerselvam announced on Tuesday that the state government has given Rs 942 crore as compensation to 13 lakh farmers affected by natural calamities.
“The impact of root wilt disease in coconut trees was intense until a few months ago when officials and students from the agriculture department identified the affected regions and took measures to tackle the menace. The trees withered by root wilt disease were removed at a cost of Rs 72 crore and preventive medicine was given to the farmers,” he told the media, after addressing a review meeting of farmers from Coimbatore, Erode and Tirupur at the district collector office in Coimbatore. He was accompanied by Minister for Information and Publicity MP Saminathan.
At the meeting, Panneerselvam discussed steps to improve cultivation, identify suitable crops and encouraged farmers of the three districts to expand their area of cultivation.
Under the ‘Kalaignarin Anaithu Grama Orunginaintha Velan Valarchi' scheme to increase area of cultivation, 46 lakh coconut saplings have been given for free so far, Panneerselvam noted.
“Farmers were duly compensated for crop loss caused by wild animals. In the last four years, Rs 985 crore has been given as support price to paddy farmers,” he added.
On the court's directions to close the Kallar government horticulture farm located on the elephant migratory pathway, the minister said that the state government would handle the issue legally.