Chennai: Tamilnadu Agriculture Minister MRK Panneerselvam today announced that Rs 4,508.23 crore has been alloted to provide free electricity for farmers.
Presenting the first ever separate Agriculture Budget in the Assembly today, Panneerselvam also said that Rs 2,327 crore will be allocated for the ongoing implementation of the crop insurance scheme in 2021-22.
At the beginning of his speech, Panneerselvam said the budget is dedicated to the farmers protesting against the three farm laws enacted by the union government.
“A separate division will be created for organic farming and agriculture. Kalaignar’s Integrated Rural Agriculture Plan will be implemented in Tamilnadu,” he said.
He also announced that steps will be taken to increase the area under dual cultivation to 20 lakh hectares in the next 10 years.
“An additional 11.75 lakh hectares will be cultivated on barren lands and the net cultivable area will be increased from 60 per cent to 75 per cent,” he said.
Panneerselvam also announced that Rs 40 crore has been allocated as an incentive for sugarcane farmers who supplied sugarcane to the mills in the financial year 2020-21. The incentive for sugarcane farmers will be Rs. 42.50 per tonne.
An agricultural museum at a cost of Rs 2 crore will be set up in Chennai for the younger generation to know the pride of agriculture, he added.
He further said that 5000 solar powered pump sets will be installed in the current year at 70 per cent subsidy.
“Steps will be taken to produce 200 acres of seed in government seed farms in Tiruvallur, Cuddalore, Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Salem, Erode, Tiruppur, Trichy, Pudukottai, Thanjavur, Mayiladuthurai, Tiruvarur, Theni and Tirunelveli districts and distribute it to farmers. The State government will allocate Rs 25 lakh for this project. In the first phase, this year 2500 youths will be imparted training in grafting, logging, raiding, green hut maintenance, maintenance of micro-irrigation system, operation of horticultural machinery and repair of agricultural machinery,” Panneerselvam said.
Solar powered pumpset subsidy scheme will be implemented at the cost of Rs 114.68 crore, he said.
A new scheme will be implemented in 30 districts in Tamilnadu to increase the number of palm trees. Rs 12.44 crore will be allocated for millet movement in Tamilnadu. More loans will be disbursed to the farmers through primary agriculture cooperative credit societies, he said.