Veggy cultivation to get a thrust

Madurai: With the kuruvai crop facing imminent failure due to insufficient water in the reservoirs, the Madurai district administration is planning to promote vegetable cultivation. After visiting horticulture projects during a press tour organised on Wednesday, collector K Veera Raghava Rao said the administration was planning to bring 900 more hectares under vegetable cultivation.
At present vegetables are cultivated in 2,100 hectares in the district during the year. Onions, tomatoes, brinjals and ladies finger are major vegetable varieties cultivated predominantly in Kottampatti, Melur, Alanganallur and Sedapatti blocks.
The farmers can't keep incurring losses depending heavily on a single crop. Hence, they will be encouraged to shift to vegetable cultivation to manage the loss, the collector said.
Progressive farmers will be identified in each block and encouraged to take up vegetable cultivation. They will be briefed on the schemes available in the horticulture department, he said.
This year the district received the subsidy on micro irrigation for 10,000 acres. Deputy director of horticulture G O Poopathi said Madurai district received Rs 4.22 crore this year for integrated horticulture development under the national horticulture mission and Rs 9.26 crore was granted for micro irrigation projects under the prime minister's micro irrigation scheme.
The district was granted Rs 43.56 lakh under the national agriculture development project and Rs 21.19 lakh for organic farming. Altogether, the district received Rs 14 crore for various horticulture projects, he said.
Vegetables are short term crops requiring minimum water. Micro irrigation can help conserve water. Farmers showing an interest in cultivating vegetables could utilise these projects to reap benefits and we could cover more area under vegetable cultivation, he said.