Tamil Nadu Agriculture Budget 2024 focuses on sustainable, chemical-free practices

Chennai: Planting as many as 100 new varieties of roses in the Rose Garden in the picturesque Udhagamandalam, cultivation of medicinal crops covering an extent of 1,680 acres, and a special schemes aimed at improving the quality of soil are some of the key announcements made by Agriculture Minister M R K Panneerselvam while presenting the DMK government’s fourth exclusive budget for agriculture on Tuesday.

Besides these, the budget has also put a major thrust on moving towards sustainable and chemical-free agricultural practices, and production of oilseeds and pulses. M R K Panneerselvam while presenting the budget announced that the gross cropped area in the state has risen from 152 lakh acre in 2020-2021 to 155 lakh acre in 2022-2023. 

The Chief Minister’s Mannuyir Kaathu Mannuyir Kaappom scheme will be implemented at a cost of Rs 206 crore, recognising the imperative to shift towards sustainable and chemical-free agricultural practices for the well-being of society. 

“This scheme aims to preserve soil fertility through the promotion of Green Manure usage among farmers. In the initial phase, slated for the year 2024-2025, an allocation of Rs.20 crore has been earmarked for the distribution of Green Manure Seeds to cover 2 lakh acres benefitting 2 lakh farmers,” the minister said in his speech. 

To attract more tourists to the Rose Garden in Ooty, which already draws an average 10 lakh people a year, the government will add another 100 varieties of roses to the existing 4,201. 

“To further enhance the garden's rose collection, the first phase will involve planting 100 new varieties of roses to improve the park to attract more visitors,” Panneerselvam said, and allotted Rs 5 crore for cultivation of medicinal crops such as Gloriosa, Senna, Periwinkle, and Coleus, covering an extent of 1,680 acres. 

The government also announced special schemes to maximise production on the available arable land by distributing 12,510 MT of paddy seeds, 260 MT of millet seeds, 940 MT of pulse seeds and 2,100 MT of oilseeds, to farmers at a subsidy of 50 to 60 per cent. 

Under One Village One Crop scheme, the government will feature demonstrations covering land preparation, seed treatment for high-yielding varieties, and integrated nutrient management for a range of crops, which will be conducted in over 5 to 10 acres in each village, focusing on one crop per village to enhance farmers' awareness. 

The budget also announced establishment of new state horticulture farm and parks in Kanyakumari, Thanjavur, and Chengalpattu districts, while allocating Rs 2 crore for facilitating cultivation of traditional vegetables in 2,470 acres. 

The government has also decided to develop a protocol for precision spraying of agricultural inputs for horticultural crops by drones and conduct training and demonstration programmes to generate employment opportunities for rural youth.