Virudhunagar

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday inaugurated a farmer producer organisation (Global Chilli Agro Pvt Ltd) in this district.

Speaking at the event at Thiruchuli village, the minister stated: "This farmer producer organisation, which produces GI-tagged Samba chillies and value-added products, has been established with financial assistance from the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI)".

She appreciated that the SIDBI does not stop at merely providing loans to the farmers of this region but offers all necessary assistance, setting an example for the entire country.

The minister further noted that "because the use of pesticides is very low in the chillies grown in this region, they are highly suitable for export to foreign countries".

Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visionary 'One District One Product' scheme, the government was providing all necessary support for chilli farming, value addition, and marketing in this district, she stated.

In addition, the minister flagged off the first batch of export vehicles carrying Samba chillies and their value-added products produced by this farmer producer organisation to Sri Lanka, parts of India including Andhra Pradesh and Haryana, as well as to e-commerce companies.

Earlier, at the Government Arts and Science College in Thiruchuli, Virudhunagar district, Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated an indoor sports stadium.

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Built at a cost of Rs 4 crore with financial assistance from SBI's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fund, the stadium includes courts for basketball, volleyball, tennis, table tennis, chess, and carrom.