Agricultural Minister M R K Panneerselvam announced on Tuesday that the Tamil Nadu government will lend farmers in the State cooperative crop loans of Rs 14,000 crore between 2023 and 2024.
Under the cooperative department, agricultural loans totaling Rs 12,648 crore were given to 16.43 lakh farmers in 2022–23.
He added that farmers will also receive an interest-free cooperative loan of Rs. 1,500 crore for activities such as raising goats, dairying, poultry, and fishing. He made these remarks while presenting the agriculture department’s budget to the Assembly.
About Rs 500 crore has been allocated to provide incentive to paddy growers at the rate of Rs 100 and Rs 75 per quintal, respectively, for fine and bold varieties, for the procurement period next year.
Awareness will be created among the consumers on increasing the millet consumption under the Tamil Nadu Millet Mission.
“As the United Nations General Assembly has declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets, it is proposed to implement the Tamil Nadu Millet Mission for five years. Subsidy will be given to bring millet cultivation to fallow lands and crop diversification to millets in 50,000 acres,” he said. The scheme will be implemented in the coming year at an estimated cost of Rs 82 crore.
To examine and offer solutions for crop damage brought on by wild animals, the Minister announced the formation of a special committee to be chaired by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife).
The Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Mission will establish a new regional startup hub in Thanjavur to support agrotechnological advances in the Cauvery delta area. Projects relating to agriculture will be successfully coordinated through the agro industrial corridor in the delta region, with an investment of Rs 1,000 crore over the following five years.
According to him, the relevant demands for the Agriculture-Farmers Welfare department and agriculture-related departments have been met with an amount of Rs 38,904.4606 crore for the fiscal year 2023–2024.
Farmers will be able to rent out agricultural equipment using the e-Vaadagai App after purchasing it through Primary Agricultural Co-operative Credit Societies (PACCSs). With help from NABARD, almost Rs 500 crore will be set aside for the project.
Also, block- and district-level information on private tractor owners, mechanics of agricultural machinery, and pump set owners will be put in the e-Vaadagai App with their name, address, and mobile number and linked with the Uzhavan App to help farmers plough without any difficulties.
“This platform will enable the farmers to avail through a single source, various benefits including crop loan, incentive for paddy and sugarcane, relief assistance under State Disaster Response Fund and scheme benefits from 13 Agriculture and Allied departments,” he noted.