Farmers advised to switch to alternative crops

Pudukottai (

), July 28: A two-day workshop on millets here has advised farmers to go in for alternative crops in view of the drought situation following change in climatic conditions.

Millets needed only one third of the water required for paddy or sugarcane. The workshop, organised recently at the Kolunji eco-farm at Odugampatti near here, was attended by about 500 farmers.

According to a release here today, the Director of 'Kudumbam', Oswald Quintal, who organised the two day workshop along with NABARD farmers'club, opined that it was time for the farmers to go in for millets or any other alternative crop as the district had been hit by drought following change in climatic conditions.

Salome Yesudass, Nutritional scientist, said millets were the storehouses of micro-nutrients to fight food-borne diseases. Shajahan, Joint Director of Agriculture, Pudukottai, said with the consecutive monsoon failure and nutritional challenges, millets were the only answer to ensure food security, and would be the future of food and farming.The State was giving Rs. 2,000 an acre in subsidy for millet promotion, he said.

PTI