Announcement on kuruvai crop insurance soon: Agri Minister

TIRUCHY: The announcement regarding the kuruvai crop insurance would be made soon, said Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare MRK Panneerselvam on Tuesday.

Addressing an inspection programme on kuruvai cultivation in the Delta region along with an interactive session with the farmers, Panneerselvam said the usual target for kuruvai in Delta was 3.30 lakh acres, but this year since the Mettur Dam was opened on May 24, much ahead of the customary date of June 12, the government is expecting to achieve a target of 5.20 lakh acres kuruvai and 13.50 lakh acres of samba. Officials from the Agriculture Department are closely monitoring the process of cultivation, he added.

“As many as 683 desilting works to a distance of 4,964 km at Rs 80 crore have been undertaken. All of them are expected to be over before the monsoon,” the Minister said and informed that alternate crops would also be cultivated this time as the groundwater table might increase this season.

Stating that a kuruvai special package of Rs 61 crore has been executed through which 3 lakh farmers from the region would get benefitted, the Minister said, this would certainly enable to increase the acreage and thus the production would also increase accordingly, he said.

This apart, adequate stock of short-term variety of paddy seeds is being maintained and stock of fertilizers and other inputs are being ensured. “The department has been initiating various steps, including machine sowing, which will ensure speedy cultivation. Farmers from the tail-end regions have been advised to undertake direct sowing method,” the Minister said.

Rs 12,000 crore crop loan

Meanwhile, Minister for Cooperation I Periyasamy told reporters that it has been planned to disburse crop loans to the tune of Rs 12,000 crore this year and a door-to-door disbursement of loan would be initiated this time, he said

The Minister said that on a par with Illam Thedi kalvi scheme, the door-to-door loan disbursement programme has been planned and as a trial basis, it would first be launched in Thanjavur district.

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