A target of 5,500 hectares of cultivation of maize in Virudhunagar district has been set under the Special Project on Maize Cultivation.

In a statement, Virudhunagar District Collector N.O. Sukhaputra said maize remained the top crop among the millets in cultivation in the district. Under the project, farmers would get a kit comprising seeds, fertilizers and bio-fertilizers. Demonstration plots would be set up to explain to the farmers all techniques to be adopted for better yield.

The Collector said a subsidy of ₹6,000 per acre would be given under the National Agricultural Development Project for paddy cultivation under system of rice intensification. The subsidy for cotton seeds was ₹140 a kg and for nipping the terminal bud of the main stem was ₹1,250 an acre.

The farmers could approach the office of the Assistant Director of Agriculture,to get more details, the statement added.