Spinning a push for Bt cotton

CHENNAI: Finance minister O Panneerselvam on Thursday said front-end technological interventions such as the system of rice intensification (SRI), sustainable sugarcane initiatives (SSI), precision farming and Bt cotton and appropriate crop management practices in pulses and oil seeds would be aggressively promoted.Presenting the Budget, he said the government would focus on improving productivity of major crops, including paddy, sugarcane, cotton, pulses and oil seeds.  Measures would be taken to extend the area under cultivation of high value commercial and horticultural crops like vegetables, flowers and fruits. For this, precision farming of vegetables and high density planting of crops would be promoted.In 2011-12, 22.24 lakh acres would be covered under SRI to enhance paddy productivity. Similarly, 14,000 acres of sugarcane would be brought under SSI, Panneerselvam said.The State has fixed an ambitious target of `3,000 crore for crop loans. In case of prompt repayment, interest-free loans would be arranged through cooperatives.It would encourage private companies to set up agro-processing industries. A cluster approach could be employed in the processing company with the farmers holding at least 25 per cent of the share capital—to be contributed by the State.A pilot scheme of complete market modernisation, including electronic linking of the markets with commodity exchanges, would be taken up in the Villupuram-regulated market.