At a time when agriculture is grappling with multiple challenges, including climate change, declining soil fertility, and labour shortages, the Tamil Nadu Agriculture Budget on Thursday unveiled various schemes, besides scaling up a number of existing initiatives, to address these issues.Presenting the Budget in the Legislative Assembly, Agriculture Minister R. Vinoth said the government had set a target of producing 131 lakh tonnes of food grains within the next five years to ensure food security for the people of the State. The target for the current year has been fixed at 125 lakh tonnes.He said the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) would be implemented during 2026-27 in 14 clusters covering all 37 districts, in line with the State government’s long-term vision of bringing 100 per cent of the cultivated area under crop insurance.The Minister said that during the current procurement season, the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation had procured 62,72,720 tonnes of paddy from 6,14,580 farmers through Direct Paddy Procurement Centres up to July 2026. A total incentive of ₹917 crore has so far been directly credited to the bank accounts of the farmers.Pointing out that 12 districts were likely to be severely affected by the Super El Niño phenomenon, he said the government had drawn up contingency plans to mitigate its climatic impact.Among the key announcements was the creation of onion storage facilities with a capacity of 57,000 tonnes at an outlay of ₹22.80 crore to address price volatility, stabilise supplies and prevent sudden spikes in onion prices.Another major announcement was the launch of the Vetri Illatharasi Veetu Thottam Scheme, with an allocation of ₹10 crore, to encourage the cultivation of vegetables, fruits and medicinal plants through grow-bag kits, vertical gardens and hydroponic systems. The scheme will benefit households in both urban and rural areas by promoting terrace and home gardening, including in apartments and around individual houses. Published - August 07, 2026 08:26 pm IST