The revised Agri Budget for Tamil Nadu for 2026-27 presented on Thursday has several initiatives that are expected to give a boost to the horticulture sector in the western districts.In a move that is expected to benefit farmers in Krishnagiri and Tiruppur districts, the Budget proposes capacity building programmes, technical guidance and infrastructure support for farmers growing mango, guava, tomato, moringa and small onion in clusters of over 3,000 acres.Coconut is cultivated in about five lakh hectares in Tamil Nadu, with a production of 670 crore number of coconuts. A special scheme for coconut will be implemented to support the farmers in pest and disease management, increasing productivity, and improving value addition. The government has allocated ₹16 crore for this purpose.The Tamil Nadu Coconut Processing Corporation will be established by the Department of Agricultural Marketing and Agri Business with an allocation of ₹22.3 crore to guide and extend technical support for post harvest infrastructure, processing, quality certification, packaging, and exports.Since consumption of high-value fruit crops such as Blueberries, Rambutan, Litchi, Dragon fruit, Avocado, Kiwi, Mangosteen and Passion fruit has increased, among the public, ₹1.87 crore will be allocated to cultivate these on 930 acres as both mono and inter-crops.Tamarind cultivation will be promoted in Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts.New varieties of apple, plum, peach, pear, kiwi, avocado and persimmon will be introduced at the century-old Pomological Station, Coonoor, and a gene pool will be established at an outlay of ₹75 lakh. By this, planting materials of these newly introduced varieties suitable for temperate regions will be produced and supplied to farmers, the budget said. Published - August 07, 2026 09:50 pm IST