Aragalur

Demand for flower market

The Hindu
Saturday, Sep 18, 2004
Demand for flower market

By Our Special Correspondent

SALEM, SEPT. 17. The district administration should establish a flower market near the Bose Maiden in the city on the lines of farmers' shandies, the president, United Farmers Association, C. Vaiyapuri, said.

At the farmers' grievances day meeting here today, the association president asked the Agricultural Marketing Committee to take over the land from the Salem Corporation for the purpose.

The market would help hundreds of flower producers in Salem directly market their produce. This would eliminate middlemen in the trade effectively, he pointed out.

`Distribute rice'

Mr. Vaiyapuri also asked the district administration not to store the rice meant for distribution to workers under the `Food for Work' scheme. It should be immediately distributed while the works under the scheme were on.

He charged that for the past 12 months, the rice component under the Food for Work scheme was not distributed in the district to the workers.

If the rice is immediately distributed, the situation as the one that arose in Tuticorin could be avoided. He also urged the administration to take up drought relief works immediately.

Chilling plant

The president of the Sugarcane Growers Association, S. Govindarajan, demanded that an additional chilling plant be established for the benefit of milk producers in and around Attur.

The capacity of the existing plant was not adequate and hence the producers were facing problems in storing milk, he said and added that the district administration should form a tripartite committee of milk producers, officials and buyers to sort out the problems, which the milk industry was facing. The issue of procurement price was also unresolved, he pointed out.

The District Revenue Officer, T.P. Rajesh, who presided over the meeting, said that the issues pertaining to agriculture were given utmost priority in the district.

The rice under the Food for Work scheme would be immediately distributed, he said.

Greenery project

A massive `Green the Salem' project would be taken up in Salem town, he added.

The Project Officer of District Rural Development Agency, T.K.S. Manimanthiri, and other senior officials took part in the meeting.