Chennai: Concerned about the looming water crisis and to bring maximum dry-land area under cultivation in Tamil Nadu, the state government had passed orders instructing the director of agriculture to execute a massive Rs 800 crore plan on sustainable dry land agriculture, where cluster-based farming activities will be adopted. A government order dated last month said the state has embarked on a mission under which sustainable dry land agriculture will be promoted in development of 1,000 dry-land cluster areas at a total cost of '802.90 crore during the period from 2016-17 to 2019-20.
The director of agriculture has proposed to form 1,000 dry land clusters at the state level over a period of four years. In the first year, 200 clusters will be formed and in the next two years, 400 clusters will be formed in each year. Each dry land cluster will consist of all drylands falling in one or more contiguous village panchayats aggregating to an area of about 1,000 Ha. Each cluster will function with a Nodal Primary Agricultural Cooperative Credit Society (PACCS) as the Nodal Centre. If 1,000 Ha cannot be formed within the area of a single PACCS, the area of an adjoining PACCS may also be included within the cluster, the government order explained.
To execute the project, a cluster development team (CDT) will be formed with the agricultural officer as cluster co-ordinator with agricultural officers, veterinary assistant surgeon as the CDT members, the order read adding that under the project water conservation measures will be taken up as an integral part promoting mixed farming. Supporting mini-dairy and poultry units are also to be part of the cluster farming to supplement income to farmers, the order said.
