1,166 godowns to store farm produce

CHENNAI:  In yet another farmer-friendly measure, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Thursday announced that the State government would set up as many as 1,166 godowns at a cost of Rs 105 crore for storing agricultural products.Making a suo motu statement in the State Assembly, the CM said as of now, the total storage capacity in the godowns of various cooperative marketing societies stood at eight lakh metric tonnes. This would go up to 1,55,300 metric tonnes after the setting up of 1,166 godowns with the financial assistance from NABARD. With the enhanced storage capacity, farmers could gain an additional income of Rs 26.40 crore per annum.The measure could benefit the farmers in three ways - reduce the loss of products, help them avail loans of longer term pledging the stored goods and earn more profit by selling products at competitive rates when demand is high. As of now, farmers are getting 10 to 30 per cent enhanced price due to utilisation of storage facilities .The Chief Minister said since the State government has decided to extend Pledge Loan to the tune of Rs 185 crore and there was more demand for the godowns in the cooperative sector, increasing the storage space became an immediate need. As many as 1,118 godowns with a storage capacity of 100 metric tonnes would be set up in Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies across the State while godowns with 2,000 metric tonnes capacity would be built at the six Agricultural Produces Cooperative Marketing Societies. The rest of the godowns would be built in other marketing societies.  The CM said that her government had resolved to usher in a Second Green Revolution in Tamil Nadu and, for the current year, the target for foodgrain production had been fixed at an all-time high of 115 lakh metric tonnes.