Date:04/01/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/04/stories/2009010450010100.htm

Tamil Nadu

Erode to have three clusters under NADP

Karthik Madhavan

ERODE: Erode will have three clusters of over 50 acres each under the National Agriculture Development Programme (NADP) which aims at promoting growth in the agriculture sector. The agriculture engineering department, which is in charge, will form the clusters on dry lands as contiguous stretch by including small and marginal farmers and big farmers. As for the latter the condition is that not more than five acres of their land will be included in the cluster and the lands have to be dry.

The department will assist the farmers in the cluster by clearing bushes, levelling the land and forming bunds, if necessary and for the work the department will pay Rs. 3,400 an acre as subsidy. It will also conduct a geo-physical survey to ascertain water availability and help the cluster farmers to have borewells. The cluster norms say that the farmers will have to form a Life Irrigation Society, through which water in the cluster will be managed.

The department will pay Rs. 8,900 an acre for digging borewells and a cluster will have a borewell for 10 acres. On these lands the farmers will cultivate mango, gooseberry (amla) and other horticulture crops. And, if water availability is poor, the department will ask the farmers to go in for pongamia, neem, tamarind, ailanthus, vagai or other timber trees.

The assistance will also extend to providing drip irrigation for the farmers.