Intensive Cotton Development Programme at Tuticorn

Tuticorin: The Department of Agriculture will implement an Intensive Cotton Development Programme (ICDP) on an outlay of Rs.24.56 lakh during the current fiscal to augment cotton production in the district, which was on the decline in the last two decades.Official sources said that the area coverage under cotton in the district plummeted from 43,878 ha in 1986-87 to 5,830 ha during the last financial year.

The ICDP was envisaged under the Mini Mission-II of the Technology Mission on Cotton.The project will provide assistance for extension development activities like technology transfer by means of demonstrations, training in the latest farming practices, supply of critical inputs like seeds, pheromone traps, bio agents and sprinklers, all with an aim to enhance production as well as lint quality of cotton.

M. Mohanados, Joint Director of Agriculture, said that as part of the project, a total of 39 kilograms of breeder seeds would be multiplied at select farmers’ holdings at Ottapidaram, Kovilpatti, Kayathar, Vilathikulam, Pudur and Tuticorin blocks under the project, to produce 7,000 kilograms of high yielding varieties of certified seeds.The certified seeds will then be distributed at subsidised rates, for which the Department of Agriculture has allocated Rs.1.4 lakh from the total project cost.

Mr. Mohanados said that assistance would be provided to the farmers to treat the seeds with bio agents like trichoderma virudi to enhance its resistance to seed-borne pathogens.To counter pest attacks on the cotton plants, pheromone traps will be supplied at subsidised rates.“We will give a maximum of 12 numbers of traps for every hectare of cultivation,” the Joint Director said.
Besides, power sprayers totalling 450 numbers and hand operated sprayers totalling 350 numbers too will be supplied at 50 per cent subsidy.Mr. Mohanados said that 100 pest surveillance plots would be set up at random at a cost of Rs.1 lakh to study the nature of pest attacks in various places.“Such a study will help us to provide guidance to the farmers on area specific pest control measures,” he said.The training to cotton farmers will conducted at a cost of Rs 2.5 lakh to educate them on the latest cotton growing techniques.