#Transportation is required to bring goods to farmers market and stores. I make a huge demand that the governments should make it happen.#
#If we all ask the farmers' association for the vegetables we need in the flats of 500 houses, they are ready to do it.
#If a language is lost, that culture is lost..
#How did I not know these people? That was shy..
A competition to develop agricultural implements for use by small farmers and women will be held this year - actor Karthi
I would say Sivaraman sir, Anant sir and Ismail sir are the investment for this NGO. They are leading this because of their concern and experience for the society. I am not going to thank Rajkiran sir, Ponvannan sir and Pandiraj sir. Because they have half of my thoughts. Also, thanks to the agricultural giants who accepted our invitation and came here to receive the prize and honored us.
Events like this don't happen often. We do not seek to know any things. Followers of Dinesh's Modern Plowman may know a lot about it. The newly started Uzhavar Trust should be fully informed about agriculture. That's when I thought we might as well do it. At that time I was invited to many functions. Fernandshaw and Antony Das, agriculturalists, who had been doing agriculture for 30-40 years, were invited as special guests for a particular function. I was very nervous when they came one by one. Are these our heroes? Why don't we identify them? Why are these people unknown to society? How did I not know them? That was shy.
When Uzhavan Foundation was started, when we looked at what was lacking in the society towards agriculture, it seemed that respect and knowledge towards the farmers was lacking. It is important to recognize and identify them. Because there are many people in small towns who perform miracles without expecting anything. Not all of them do it for the gift and for us to call and praise. There are countless people who have dedicated their entire lives to this being essential, important to society, and vital to our future. Will the people in that town respect them? Don't know that. We have started the Farmer Awards to bring such people and make it known to our children that these are our heroes and these are the people our society needs.
If you look at everyone who has come here, if you lose a language, it is said that the culture itself is gone, if you lose a certain seed, it cannot be recreated. One has been guarding such a seed since the age of 19. At this age he spends his entire life for the society, regardless of whether he went abroad or earned and bought a house. But it's tempting to hear that society is doing well. It is tempting to ask that someone will put petrol and send it. There are a lot of good people around, and I've heard this anecdotally. While everyone is doing things that are trending, Dinesh is taking up the dry subject of agriculture. To think that he has so many followers is great hope. Women cannot do anything in agriculture. A group of women are achieving when they are supposed to be left behind. Even so, they do not have their own land. It is no ordinary thing if after borrowing and leasing a particularly dry land, drilling a well and farming, the town itself looks up to them. A great achievement. We brought them here to encourage them and praised them. I am sure this appreciation will inspire many others like them.
We are conducting this festival every year so that there is sure to be a reflection of this in the society.
I don't know how they found us. Today I have shopped in London and Dubai said the person from Kotagiri. I won't have respect in town because I farmed. But, today, I have become a star to the extent of buying my autograph. They say you get applause wherever you go. Therefore, it is understood that the festival should be held regularly every year.
Keeping this aside, we have to look at our understanding of agriculture and farmers. Let us tell our children not to waste food. But do we tell where the food comes from? Before, if children were asked where their food comes from, they would say it comes from the supermarket. But today they say it will come if you order it on Swiggy and Somato. We take them to visit factories to see how they make a car, how they make ice cream. But how is food prepared? Are you saying that? Are there any visits for that in schools? I think about that. I took Umayya and showed me around the farmland for a whole day. Many schools are taking it today. Some schools have a separate class for agriculture. But I think agritourism should be made compulsory in all schools.
1 hour is enough to make a car and add parts. But, one does not know how many days it takes to grow a paddy. Taking tomato for example, it takes 25 days for seedlings to germinate. Till then you have to make sure that nothing happens to the seedling. After planting the seedling should be watered properly until the flower is full and fruiting. Be careful not to get pests. The rain should neither be too much nor too little. Beyond all this, tomatoes come to the market. Here, there is no cooking without onions and tomatoes. But if one day the price of tomato goes up, then that will be the main news. Immediately, they will import tomatoes from Bengaluru. The price from Rs.100/- per kg will come down to Rs.5/-. Have you ever wondered how much rupees will go to the farmer then? I was ashamed to think that I hadn't thought. The same goes for the essential ingredient milk.
Buying a cow and milking it is a big deal. 2 kg fodder per day at Rs.50/-. How much work does a cow have to do in a whole day from morning to night? Can't go to any auspicious event. The income for such a full-time job is meager. The government has fixed Rs.27/- per litre. The price of bottled water keeps going up. But we get angry if the price of milk increases by Rs.2/-. Andhu sir used to say that no matter what you eat, think about how much is going to the farmer. What verb do we understand? The government will do the same. Why is it loaded when the price goes up here? Who does that money reach? If you are asked to pay 2 rupees more at the place of purchase of milk, you should be ready to accept that cost. Only then will we get good milk. Good milk is not available in urban areas. Mistakes are common. If we want good milk we have to go and buy it. I pray that this small change will come to everyone.
Now buying directly from the farmer has started. In 500-house flats, if we all ask the Farmers' Union for the vegetables we need, they are ready to do it. If that is the case, the farmers will also get a good price. We also get food without poison.
Wherever we go, we have seen Nammalwar Aya and they say his name only because he has taught. It is certainly our duty to pass this on to the next generation. Now they say that food production is decreasing from 2 percent to 6 percent. The rains that should fall in the month of Aadi are delayed. All these years of knowledge that if you sow this season you will reap this season is now going to waste. Everything changes with time. However, if we still get food, as Pandiraj sir said, they will not give up agriculture, they will struggle for a generation. Is the next generation ready for that generation? If you ask that, it is scary. We have to prepare it ourselves. As we said in the film, be a doctor, be an engineer, even be a collector, but also be a farmer. It seems good that they should do agriculture.
This year is celebrated as an important year for small grains. Why is small grains necessary if we take India? If so, it is a rainfed crop, it does not need to be watered, it does not need to be fertilized, it is not a hybrid. Beautiful in hand. However, the reason many people don't do this is because the implementation plan isn't right. Small grains are available in small villages and hilly areas. But, all the small grains that come in such way end up as value added products like kambu murukku and ragi biscuits. But all nutrients are available only when eaten as food. Everything available in the shops is white polish. Rye and ragi are all the same color. Polishing removes all the nutrients. It is very important to eat it half cooked. Processing plant for that is very less in Tamil Nadu.
The government maintains a processing plant where farmers can store their produce in a safe place and sell it when the price rises. Similarly for small grains, more number of processing plants should be established. It should be installed near the store for easy storage for the farmer. If this is done, small grains will be available in large quantities at low prices. Rice is available at Rs.60/- per kg. But small grain sells at Rs.90/- to Rs.130/-. Everyone can buy and eat.
Also, the farmers have to carry their own produce and sell it in the market. That too should sell within 2 hours. After that, they have to see the house, see the forest, see other works. Only if he has a son can he share the chores. Otherwise, there are no people to do everything. Transportation is needed to bring products to the farmers market and stores. I make a huge request that the government should provide it.
Like this, we will come up with more projects in future. In this case, my favorite thing is water and us. We hope that by learning this and teaching it to the next generation, we can protect it. இத்திட்டத்திற்கு பல நண்பர்கள் உதவியாக இருக்கிறார்கள்.
அதேசமயம், அந்து சார் கூறியது போல சிறு குறு விவசாயிகள் மற்றும் பெண்கள் பயன்படுத்துவதற்கேற்ப கருவிகளை வடிவமைக்கும் போட்டியும் ஏற்பாடு செய்திருக்கிறோம். சென்ற வருடமே முன்னெடுக்கத் திட்டமிட்டிருந்தோம். ஆனால், தாமதமாகி விட்டது. இந்த வருடம் நிச்சயம் நடத்துவோம். இதற்கு அண்ணா பல்கலைக் கழகமும் உடன் இருக்கிறார்கள் என்பதில் மிகப் பெரிய சந்தோஷம். ஏனென்றால், பொறியியலாளர்களால் தான் சுலபமாகவும், எளிமையாக உருவாக்க முடியும்.
இங்கு வந்த அனைவருக்கும் நன்றி என்றார்.