The Tamil Nadu government will provide ₹14,000 in crop loans to farmers through co-operative societies in 2023-24,, besides ₹1,500 crore for goat-rearing, dairying, poultry farming and fisheries, Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare M.R.K. Pannerselvam said on Tuesday.
The Minister, who presented the Agriculture Budget in the Assembly, announced the allocation of ₹500 crore to provide incentive at the rate of ₹100 and ₹75 per quintal for fine and bold varieties of paddy respectively.
Despite a tough financial situation, the government had been implementing the crop insurance scheme, he said, and in the coming year, ₹2,337 crore would be spent on the State share of premium subsidy.
He said that during the 2022-23 kharif marketing season, 27.23 lakh metric tonnes of paddy was procured from 3.73 lakh farmers and ₹5,778 crore had been disbursed so far.
The government would allocate ₹253 crore to provide a special incentive of ₹195 over and above the fair and remunerative price (FRP) of ₹2,821 per tonne of sugar cane announced by the Union government in 2022-23. This would benefit around 1.50 lakh farmers.
Another announcement was the allocation of ₹500 crore with the assistance of NABARD to buy agriculture machinery through the Primary Agricultural Co-Operative Credit Societies (PACCSs). The machines will be available in every village and will be hired out to farmers through the e-Vaadagai app.
Recalling the announcement in the previous Budget about the declaration of areas between Tiruchi and Nagapattinam as the Agro Industrial Corridor, the Minister said a detailed report had been prepared to set up the corridor to enhance the income of farmers and to create jobs.
He said a regional startup hub would be created in Thanjavur by the Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Mission to promote agro-technological innovations in the Cauvery Delta region.
“Through the Agro Industrial Corridor, projects in sectors related to agriculture will be coordinated and effectively implemented on an outlay of ₹1,000 crore in the next five years,” he added.
