Even as demand for bio-fertilizers is growing across the State as it enriches the soil in a phenomenal fashion while preventing environmental pollution, the State government has set a target of producing 3,000 tonnes of bio-fertilizers during this fiscal in its production centres across the State.
As a sizable section of the total population has started buying only organically grown vegetables and foodgrains even though these farm produces are slightly costlier, the State government has taken special steps to encourage organic farmers by ensuring adequate supply of bio-fertilizers.
Speaking to The Hindu , N. Malarvizhi, Agriculture Officer, Government Bio-fertilizer Production Centre here, said the Centres at Cuddalore, Kudumiyanmalai, Tiruchi, Ramanathapuram, Sakkottai, Kattankulathur, Polur, Palacode, Avinasi, Bhavani, Needamangalam, Uthamapalayam, Tenkasi and Tuticorin had been given a target of producing 3,000 tonnes of bio-fertilizers during this fiscal.
The production centre at Tuticorin had been entrusted with the job of producing phosphobacteria, two types of azospirillum and as many types of rhizobium bacteria with the ‘mother culture’ being supplied by Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore.
On getting the ‘mother culture,’ a well-trained team would grow it in the laboratory, check its quality in several phases and send it to the Agricultural Extension Centres for distribution to farmers.
253 tonnes in Tuticorin
“We’ve been given a target of producing 253.24 tonnes of bio-fertilizers – last year, the target was 217 tonnes – during this year and we’re sending our products to the farmers of Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Kanyakumari, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram and Nagapattinam districts,” Ms. Malarvizhi said.
Collector M. Ravikumar, a staunch supporter of organic farming practices, reviews every week the production of bio-fertilizers in the government production centre at Tuticorin and the quantum of bio-fertilizer distributed to the farmers.
Moreover, he has instructed the officials to stock the bio-fertilizers in adequate quantity in all agriculture extension centres across the district.
