Chennai: Tamil Nadu agriculture and farmers welfare minister M.R.K Paneerselvam on Saturday presented the Rs 33,007 crore agriculture budget for 2022-23. This is the first full-fledged state agricultural budget since the DMK government headed by Chief Minister M.K Stalin assumed office in May last year. The budget featured schemes for the overall development of the farm sector, including one for self-sufficiency and farm growth in villages.
Panneerselvam, while presenting the budget, said the views of farmers and experts were sought and the budget was prepared based on their views, adding that the agriculture budget was the aspiration of farmers.
Key highlights of the budget
1. Kalaignarin All Village Integrated Agriculture Development Programme scheme will be implemented at an outlay of Rs.300 crore in 3,204 village panchayats converged with Anaithu Grama Anna Marumalarchi Thittam.
2. A sum of Rs 4,508.23 crore has been allocated to the state-run electricity entity, the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation for providing free of cost electricity to farm pump sets.
3. Putting emphasis on the use of technology like IoT, drones and remote sensing, the budget also sought to ensure drone infrastructure application to be employed in the agricultural fields, to cope with a shortage of labourers in the state. In coordination with Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and Tamil Nadu Drone Corporation, farmers will be trained at seven farmer's training centres for the use of drones in spraying pesticides and surveying the stages of crops, Minister said.
