In the wake of a controversy over the excessive use of pesticides by Tamil Nadu farmers, a top official on Friday asked the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University to invent pest-resistant variety of seeds so that chemicals need not to be used on them.
"On behalf of the state government, we request TNAU to come up with a variety of seeds for all vegetables and grain crops that are resistant to the three main varieties of pests and fungus that plagues each of them," said agricultural production commissioner and agriculture secretary Rajesh Lakhoni while speaking at a scientific workers conference at TNAU.
The commissioner said bringing down the use of pesticides was vital in achieving the chief minister J Jayalalithaa's goal of doubling the agricultural productivity and tripling the farmers' income.
"Most of these farmers end up spending a lot of money on pesticides and insecticides which increases their input cost and pulls down their profit. So, this is essential for that," he said.
"And pest-resistant crops which will reduce the use of pesticides is the only way to make agriculture sustainable," he said.
The agriculture department has been under heavy pressure for the past week after the Kerala government wrote to them recommending a change in the mode of agriculture practised. The letter was sent after they reportedly found Tamil Nadu farmers using pesticides above the permissible levels.
Lakhoni asked the university to research on making their Integrated Pest Management (IPM) system more foolproof so that they might start educating more farmers about it during their outreach system.
"The integrated pest management mainly includes three factors-one of which is that if there is a pest attack, immediately pull out the males, so they do not multiply. The second factor is to introduce another insect to eat up or destroy the ones destroying the crops, and the third is to save the beneficial pests," Lakhoni to TOI.
"This system has been found to be effective on vegetables like tomato and ladiesfinger and rice crops," he said.
The university was also requested to create and achieve a goal of tripling millet production in the state and doubling pulse production within the next five years.
University vice-chancellor K Ramasam said they would achieve the goal within three years if the government allocated funds specifically for research purpose.