VIT University will develop a model agriculture garden in its campus at Vellore, informed VIT vice-president G V Selvam.

A special programme to distribute traditional paddy seeds to farmers of Vellore and neighbouring districts and introduction of wooden oil seed grinding machine was organised by VIT sponsored Thondai Mandalam Farmers’ Producer Company at Voorhees College, Vellore, recently.



Addressing the agriculturists, Selvam appealed to the farmers to make use of proposed garden and produce more agriculture products. "Farmers should produce more organic food products and crops which can be developed in waste lands with less water," he added.



Selvam expressed concern over the growing real estate business in the agriculture lands and insisted this could be done away only with more production of agriculture. Stressing the need for nature based fertilisers and pesticides, the vice- president cautioned the usage of chemical fertilizers which are harmful to fertile lands.



"We will be consuming tablet form of foods instead of agro based foods in 50 years. There must be a coordination among agriculture manure production and poultry and animal husbandry," he added.



The VIT vice-president distributed traditional Kullangar paddy seeds to the farmers and Vellore CMC Hospital principal Dr Anna P Pulimood gave away wooden oil seed crushing machine.



Experts from the field of agriculture offered valuable suggestions to the farmers gathered. Tamil Maran, project officer of Rural Development and Research Education Centre welcomed the gathering.