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Integrated
cotton cultivation programme launched in TN
Sudha
Swaminathan - Coimbatore
After
a month of the formal national launch of at Hyderabad, contract
farming in cotton has been successfully taken off in Pollachi, Tamilnadu.
Appachi Cotton Company, cotton trader from Pollachi, has pooled
farmers under Self Help Groups of various villages in the region.
Some 200 odd farmers with 1097 acres of land have registered with
company towards integrated cotton cultivation program (ICCP).
ICCP
was formally launched by the company at Pollachi in the presence
of Mr Sudhir Bhargava, ministry of textiles and Mr M B Lal, advisor,
TMC.
Banks
and insurance companies, private seed companies, farm service providers
and the participating farmers also participated at the function.
Talking
at the open discussion, Mr Bhargava lauded the company for the initiative
and appealed to mills and traders to take up contract farming. Representing
the state government, Mr Ganesan, commissioner, agricultural produce
marketing committee, said that the open market selling, facilitating
a remunerative price is an advantage for the participating farmers.
It is expected that he would recommend exemption of market cess
for the farmers under the programme.
The
ministry of agriculture will provide financial benefits to the co-ordinating
agencies undertaking contract farming, said Mr Lal. Financial assistance
for all the components for ICCP under mini mission II, will be extended
to the agencies, if they are initiating the programme through government
agencies.
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