Agriculture Production Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi said that the State government has allotted ₹51 lakh to protect tapioca farms affected by mealey bugs here.
Mr. Bedi and District Collector K. Megraj visited tapioca farms here on Tuesday and assessed the effects of the pest attack.
Talking to presspersons, Mr. Bedi said, “tapioca is cultivated in about 1 lakh hectares in Tamil Nadu and harvest has been in 21,000 hectares. The bug has attacked about 3,000 hectares and we are hopeful that it could be contained within the 3,000 ha.”
He said that nearly 1,000 hectares has been affected in Namakkal and some places in Salem, Erode.
On Kuruvai season, Mr. Bedi said that the government is aiming for record production this year and there is ample stock of fertilizers and seeds. He said that the Kudimaramathu and desilting works are under way and the government has allotted ₹500 crore for Kudimaramathu works this year and ₹67 crore for desilting works in delta region. He asked the farmers to inform officials if they have any complaints about desilting works.