1500 moringa seedlings received from horticulture department at Chettipalayam near Palladam have not bloomed even after a year of planting. Easwaran, a farmer, has lodged a complaint with the horticulture department's office alleging that the horticulture department officials have cheated him by giving them sub-standard seedlings.
Tirupur: Farmers at Pongalur near Palladam are disappointed that 1,500 moringa saplings provided by the horticulture department have not dried even after one-and-a-half years.
Easwaran is a farmer from Chettipalayam village under Pongalur union in Palladam taluk of Tirupur district. In 2021, under the Rainfed Development Programme of the Government of Tamil Nadu, 50 farmers of Pongalur have been provided with moringa seedlings, mango saplings and guava saplings free of cost by the Horticulture Department of Pongalur.
Out of this, 1,500 moringa seedlings have been distributed to Easwaran, a farmer from Chettipalayam. He cultivated moringa seedlings under drip irrigation and spent up to Rs. 90,000 on three acres.
Easwaran, a farmer, has complained to the horticulture department's office that even after a year of planting moringa saplings, not a single plant has flowering.
As the horticulture department officials did not take any action in this regard, he bought moringa seeds from a private company on the remaining land owned by him and cultivated them. Easwaran, a farmer, said that the moringa seeds purchased from the private sector are of good ripening capacity and have yielded good returns.
Meanwhile, farmer Easwaran, who was disappointed with the poor quality of fake moringa seedlings, has left the plants intact as it would cost up to Rs 20,000 to destroy the unripe moringa plants.
After a gap of six months, horticulture department officials on Wednesday inspected farmer Easwaran's estate. "Don't cheat the farmers by giving such poor quality fake seeds and seedlings," he said. Easwaran, a farmer, has demanded that steps be taken to compensate him for the loss.
When asked about this, an official of the horticulture department said that the soil on farmer Easwaran's land was not of good quality and that they had given proper instructions for the ripening of moringa saplings.
Easwaran is a farmer from Chettipalayam village under Pongalur union in Palladam taluk of Tirupur district. In 2021, under the Rainfed Development Programme of the Government of Tamil Nadu, 50 farmers of Pongalur have been provided with moringa seedlings, mango saplings and guava saplings free of cost by the Horticulture Department of Pongalur.
Out of this, 1,500 moringa seedlings have been distributed to Easwaran, a farmer from Chettipalayam. He cultivated moringa seedlings under drip irrigation and spent up to Rs. 90,000 on three acres.
Easwaran, a farmer, has complained to the horticulture department's office that even after a year of planting moringa saplings, not a single plant has flowering.
As the horticulture department officials did not take any action in this regard, he bought moringa seeds from a private company on the remaining land owned by him and cultivated them. Easwaran, a farmer, said that the moringa seeds purchased from the private sector are of good ripening capacity and have yielded good returns.
Meanwhile, farmer Easwaran, who was disappointed with the poor quality of fake moringa seedlings, has left the plants intact as it would cost up to Rs 20,000 to destroy the unripe moringa plants.
After a gap of six months, horticulture department officials on Wednesday inspected farmer Easwaran's estate. "Don't cheat the farmers by giving such poor quality fake seeds and seedlings," he said. Easwaran, a farmer, has demanded that steps be taken to compensate him for the loss.
When asked about this, an official of the horticulture department said that the soil on farmer Easwaran's land was not of good quality and that they had given proper instructions for the ripening of moringa saplings.