TN Budget: Rs 42,281.88 crore allocated for Agriculture Budget 2024-25

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare,MRK Panneerselvam on Tuesday presented the Agricultural Budget 2024-2025 in the State Assembly.

Here are the updates:

• Compensation of Rs 208.20 crore will be given to 2 lakh farmers for crop damages caused by natural calamities such as summer rains and unprecedented torrential rainfall in southern districts and Delta.

• An incentive of Rs 260 crore was given to sugarcane farmers at the rate of Rs 195 per MT last year

• Rs 6.27 Cr will be allocated to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and protect soil fertility in the State.

• 'Chief Minister's Mannuyir Kaathu Mannuyir Kaappom' scheme will be implemented in 2024-25 with 22 species at a cost of Rs 206 crore.

• Rs 7.50 cr will be allocated for remediation of 37,000 acres of saline land and Rs 15 crore will be allocated for remediation of 37,500 acres of acid lands.

• 5 lakh litres of bio-fertilizers worth Rs 7.50 Cr will be provided to 2 lakh farmers for the purpose of 10 lakh acres.

• 10 lakh neem saplings will be distributed free of cost under the Agroforestry Scheme to popularise neem and Rs 2 Cr allocated for the same.

• To encourage farmers, a model farm for 'organic farming' will be developed at a cost of Rs 38 lakh.

• Rs 10,500 Cr allocated for food subsidy to ensure food security in the year 2024-25.

• Rs 500 Cr has been allocated for the Tamil Nadu government's paddy procurement incentive scheme.

• Considering the importance of cultivation of bees, a bee terminal will be built in the Kanniyakumari district at a cost of Rs 3.60 Cr.

• 'Payaru Perukku' scheme will be implemented in an area of 4.75 lakh acres at a cost of Rs 40.26 Cr.

• Rs 17.50 Cr will be allocated to cultivate dura as a separate crop, as a fall crop or as an intercrop in an area of 50,000 acres.

• The Kalaignarin All Village Integrated Agricultural Development Programme, in conjunction with the Anaithu Grama Anna Marumalarchi Thittam of the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department, is being implemented for a five-year period starting from 2021-22 across 12,525 Village Panchayats.

• The programme aims to transform every village into a model of self-sufficiency by focusing on the development of agriculture as the primary occupation, and by converting fallow lands into cultivable lands to increase the net cultivable area.

• During 2024-25, this scheme will be implemented in 2,482 selected village panchayats at an outlay of Rs 200 Cr.

• Ooty Rose Garden will be improved to attract the public by introducing new varieties of roses.

• Rs 250 Cr will be allocated to provide a special incentive of Rs 215 per ton to 1.30 lakh sugarcane farmers.

• Subsidy of power tillers will be increased from Rs 85,000 to Rs 1.20 lakh and power tillers will be provided to 4,000 farmers and power weeders will be provided to 4,000 farmers.

• Department of Seed Certification and Organic Certification will henceforth be renamed as the Department of Seed Certification and Biodiversity Certification.

• 919 works will be carried out at a cost of Rs 110 Cr to dredge 5,338 km of rivers, canals and culverts before the onset of Southwest monsoon in the Delta region.

• A special assistance scheme for drought relief will be implemented in 110 villages in 55 Taluks of 7 districts namely Dharmapuri, Tirupur, Pudukkottai, Sivagangai, Virudhunagar, Ramanathapuram and Thoothukudi at an estimated cost of Rs 110.59 Cr.

• Under the MGNREGA scheme, 2 lakh works such as farm pits, water concentration shafts, seepage water pond, concentration wells, new ponds, soil supply, stone supply will be carried out at an estimated cost of Rs 7,000 Cr.

• A target of Rs 16,500 Cr has been set for disbursement of crop loans in 2024-25.

• In 2022-23, Rs 13,442 Cr was provided as a crop loan to 17.44 lakh farmers.

• In 2023-24, Rs 13,600 Cr crop loan was provided to 16.19 lakh farmers.

• Value chains for agricultural produce such as rice, mango, banana, guava, tomato, chilli and marine fish products including input supply, production, post-harvest management, processing, consumption management projects will be implemented at a cost of Rs 72 Cr.

• Necessary research work will be carried out to develop traditional rice varieties with low glycemic index, high nutritional value, and to develop rice varieties suitable for direct seeding through rapid breeding.

• Natural resource development works, production works, livelihood works will be carried out in 275 watersheds of 25 Taluks in 7 districts (Perambalur, Thoothukudi, Krishnagiri, Ramanathapuram, Dharmapuri, Dindigul and Virudhunagar) at an estimated cost of Rs 43 Cr.

• Rs 170 Cr will be allocated to benefit 26,179 farmers under the Agricultural Mechanisation scheme.

• A solar garden will be set up near the beach in Kanniyakumari between the point of sunrise and sunset at a cost of Rs 2 Cr.

• Rs 30 lakh will be allocated to expand the cultivation of iron-rich dates in an area of 250 acres in TN.

• During 2024-25, Geographical Indication tag (GI tag) will be obtained for 10 agricultural products such as Sathayamangalam Red Banana (Erode), Kolli Hills Pepper (Namakkal), Meenambur Seeraga Samba (Ranipet), Ayyampalayam Nettai Thennai (Dindigul), Urigam Puli (Krishnagiri), Bhuvanagiri Mithi Pagarkai (Cuddalore), Sencholam (Salem, Karur), Tirunelveli senna Leaf (Tirunelveli), Odaipatti Seedless Grapes (Theni), Gloriosa Superba (Senkanthal seed-Karur, Dindigul, Tiruppur) at a cost of Rs 30 lakh.

• Agri-tech based Startups will be identified and provided with subsidies based on their objectives, sustainability and business plan. An amount of Rs 10 Cr will be allocated for the support to Agri Tech startups.

• Following the great response received uniformly from farmers, farmer producer companies (FPCs), entrepreneurs, students and general public for the Agri Business Expo at Chennai and Velan Sangamam at Trichy which were held during 2023-24, it is proposed to conduct three Agri Expos during 2024-2025 at a cost of Rs 9 Cr.

• In response to the requests from farmers, an allocation of Rs 5 Cr will be made to support the cultivation of medicinal crops such as Gloriosa, Senna, Periwinkle, and Coleus, covering an extent of 1,680 acres.

• Rs 2 Cr will be allocated to facilitate cultivation of traditional vegetables in 2,470 acres.

• Overall, Rs 42,281.88 Cr was allocated for Agri Budget 2024-25