Lt. Governor Kiran Bedi on Sunday called for creating a forum of convergence among innovative farmers, the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Sri Aurobindo Ashram and other NGOs to promote quality farming practices.
Ms. Bedi, who undertook a visit to Lakshmi Narayana’s Hybrid Crossandra Innovation Centre at Koodapakkam village also wanted the Agriculture Department and the Rural Development Department to better utilise the services of institutions such as Nabard and create linkages to farmers and rural community and harness the abundantly available in-house resources.
Grievance expressed
Ms. Bedi’s visit to the site followed a grievance aired at an Open House meeting by the centre’s founder, T. Venkatapathi Reddiar, who is a Padma Shri awardee, that his expertise and services were not being optimally utilised by the government.
She was of the view that the aim should be to tap Central schemes and those of the State to benefit the farmers and thereby the Union Territory and the nation at large.
Mr. Reddiar brought to the notice of Ms. Bedi the recognition he received from various forums and eminent personalities for his innovative farming technique in floriculture and horticulture.
Hybrid varieties
According to a Raj Nivas press note, the Lt. Governor was impressed by the hybrid varieties of Crossandra, casuarina, gauva and other horticulture crops created by innovative farming techniques of the Centre.
Ms. Bedi felt that the horticulturist who was also willing to provide pro bono services for training of other farmers, was a rich resource person for Puducherry.
His expertise needed to be spread to other farmers.
The Lt. Governor also referred the horticulturist to A. Anbarasu, Development Commissioner, who offered to facilitate collaboration by the Agriculture Department as also the Pandit Jawaharlal College of Agriculture.
A. Ramamurthy, director, agriculture; Gunasekaran, Superintendent of Police; Arumugam, Commissioner, Villianur Commune Panchayat and Raj Nivas staff also joined the site visit.
