The Agriculture Department has planned to train 1000 farmers in the district during this year under the State Government’s major initiative to promote dryland farming in cluster mode.
The idea is to enable farmers in rain-fed areas to sustain livelihood through production of millets, pulses and oilseeds. Animal Husbandry Department, Agricultural Engineering Department and Cooperatives Department are also involved in implementing the programme over a four-year duration until 2019-20.
Six clusters have been identified in the district. In each cluster, farmers’ clubs will be formed for capacity-building through dissemination of technical knowledge and providing hand-holding support, Joint Director of Agriculture S.Viswanathan said.
Official sources said each cluster will have a primary agricultural cooperative credit society as its nodal centre.
The programme involves establishment of demonstration farms and construction of water conservation structures like community ponds, percolation ponds, check dams and farm ponds have been planned. Farmers are being supplied with the required kits to generate higher income from dryland agriculture.
Mr. Viswanathan also informed that Erode district has been sanctioned ₹35 crore to be disbursed as subsidy for installing drip irrigation. Drip irrigation would be the remedy for salvaging coconut, sugarcane, maize and other major crops during water-shortage situations, he said.
Farmers could install the paraphernalia for drip irrigation, sprinkler irrigation and rain gun by availing themselves of the benefit of subsidy utility under the Pradan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY), Mr. Viswanathan said.