Farmers Movement Archive

DMK allocates Rs 34,000 crore for agri, allied sectors in Tamil Nadu’s 1st exclusive farm budget

CHENNAI: The DMK government on Saturday dedicated the Tamil Nadu’s first-ever agriculture budget to the “bravehearts” opposing the Centre’s farm laws while proposing schemes to achieve food security over the next 10 years. A total of Rs 34,220.65 crore has been allocated for agriculture and allied sectors for the year 2021-22, said agriculture minister M R K Panneerselvam. A separate wing to focus on organic farming, an agro-industrial corridor from Trichy to Nagapattinam, and a moringa export zone in the districts of Theni, Dindigul, Karur, Tuticorin, Ariyalur, Tirupur and Madurai are highlights. As is the Kalaignarin Anaithu Grama Orunginaintha Velaan Valarchi Thittam, a scheme to ensure all the 12,524 village panchayats are self-sufficient in farm produce. This year the plan is to implement it in 2,500 village panchayats at a cost of Rs 250 crore. Reflecting the DMK’s focus on Tamil culture and heritage, the Budget made permission from collectors mandatory for cutting down palmyra trees. Besides, 76 lakh palmyra seednuts and one lakh almyra seedlings will be distributed to farmers with full subsidy in 30 districts this year. Uzhavar sandhais (farmers’ market), the brainchild of the late chief minister M Karunanidhi, will get a makeover. “The government will put an end to all measures taken to dilute the objectives behind uzhavar sandhais and will rejuvenate them,” the minister said. There was something for all sections in the Budget. Stressing that the agriculture sector will prosper at a faster pace only when youngsters become job creators rather than job seekers, the minister said the government proposed to impart training in capacity building with the help of agri-business firms and alumni. The government will also introduce teaching of agriculture and horticulture courses at the undergraduate level in Tamil. Mission mode will be adopted to conserve traditional varieties of paddy, develop skills among rural youth and promote cultivation of millets, cotton and coconut. To aid farmers forced to sell their produce at low prices, the government also announced the setting up of an organisation to give a fillip to the food processing industry. Storage and transaction facilities for agriculture produce will come up near ten regulated markets, where the farmers could sell their produce with minimum transportation cost. “It is proposed to establish modern cold storages in two locations, Oddanchattiram and Panruti, based on the requests received from the farmers during the discussions held,” Panneerselvam said. Pulses will be procured through cooperative societies and civil supplies corporation and supplied to PDS and noon meal scheme, while minor millet rice will be supplied to PDS in cities such as Chennai and Coimbatore.

The Times of India

2021-08-15

Chennai