Chairing the first meeting of the Tamil Nadu Protected Agricultural Zone Development Authority, Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday reiterated that his government will not allow any industry that affects agriculture in the fertile Cauvery Delta region.
Stalin also announced that the government will work on a long-term plan for the development of the Delta region, which was declared as a protected agricultural zone to prevent oil exploration projects in 2020 and appealed to farmers to provide inputs towards achieving the goal.
Though the then Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami declared the Cauvery Delta region as a “protected agricultural zone” in 2020 following legislation passed in the Assembly, the TNPAZDA did not meet for two years. “The previous government had enacted a legislation regarding the protected zone, but did nothing to implement the Act,” Stalin told the meeting.
“I assure you that we will not allow any industry that affects agriculture in the Delta region,” Stalin added. His comments assume significance as it comes close on the heels of the government announcing that it will not allow any new oil exploration projects in agricultural fields.
Declaring the Delta region as a “protected agricultural zone” is a long-standing demand of farmers in the area as they fear that their fertile lands will be used for oil exploration. In his speech, Stalin said paddy is cultivated in 14 lakh hectares of land in Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam, and Mayiladuthurai, and parts of Tiruchirapalli, Cuddalore, Pudukkottai, and Ariyalur.
“34 per cent of the rice produced in Tamil Nadu comes from the delta region,” the Chief Minister said and appealed to the farmers to increase food production. He also asked them to support the government by cultivating new varieties of crops.
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