The Tamil Nadu Cauvery Farmers Protection Association has sought guidance and assistance from the State government to take up alternative crop cultivation in delta districts as suggested by the Minister for Food and Civil Supplies P. Venkataramanan recently.

The Minister, during an interaction with the media in Tiruvarur recently, suggested that delta farmers could take up alternative crop this kuruvai season in view of the low water storage at the Stanley Reservoir in Mettur.

Welcoming the suggestion, TNCFPA secretary Sundara Vimalanathan said the State government should guide farmers in taking up alternative crop cultivation, wherever possible in the delta region and announce a special package on the lines of ‘kuruvai special package scheme’.

Insisting the government machinery should identify taluk-wise suitable alternative crops, he sought a minimum of ₹8,000 per acre as ‘production incentive’ in view of the steep increase in the cost of urea and other agricultural/horticultural inputs. He sought a tripartite discussion of policy makers, officials, and farmers, to chalk out a roadmap for taking up or implementing alternative crop cultivation in delta region whenever required.