Farmers grievance meeting held in TN’s Kottampatti

Following the routine status report from agriculture department, farmers started submitting petitions to the district collector.

MADURAI:  The first-of-its-kind monthly grievance meeting for farmers in rural areas was conducted in Kottampatti area instead of the district headquarters on Friday evening. District collector MS Sangeetha said the move is to address issues at the grassroots level.

Following the routine status report from agriculture department, farmers started submitting petitions to the district collector. N Arun, district secretary of TN Federation of All Farmers Association said there are more than 27 panchayats and 75 villages in Kottampatti block, yet no platforms are in place to sell their cultivation. “Action should be taken towards establishing a farmers market in Kottampatti area considering the welfare of the farmers. Further, all smaller irrigation areas should be properly maintained so that it can store more water during monsoon season,” he added.

Meanwhile, some farmers sought action towards providing new coconut saplings for the redevelopment of coconut groves. Coconut is one of the largely cultivated crops in Kottampatti. As the trees have grown old, the yield is largely affected. Hence, subsidies should be provided for new saplings, they added.

MP Raman, honorary president of Tamil Nadu Federation of All Farmers Association requested the district collector to take action towards permitting farmers across the district to take Savudu sand from water bodies. “The sand could be used for cultivation process. It can help in desilting the water bodies in the district ahead of the monsoon season,” he added. The collector assured to take action on all the issues.