TN Budget: Tamil Nadu Government Supports Digital Agriculture

Minister MRK Panneerselvam said in the assembly on Tuesday, that farmers would no longer have to visit various government offices to benefit from agri-sector schemes.

GRAINS (Grower Online Registration of Agriculture Input System) will be a new portal where details of bank accounts, Aadhar numbers of landowners and cultivators, land details, and crop cultivation details will be collected and digitized to provide farmers in need of government assistance with a one-stop solution.

"GRAINS portal will be designed to enable farmers to easily obtain benefits from various government schemes such as crop loans, incentive for paddy and sugarcane, relief assistance under the state disaster response fund, and benefits from 13 agriculture and allied departments," the minister said.

Agriculture secretary C Samayamoorthy told reporters that the department was gathering information about cultivators, owners, and lawful heirs of the owners and that they had discovered that many farmers were farming on temple lands.

Following the successful implementation of cashless benefits transfer in 37 agricultural extension centres, the agriculture department plans to expand the service to all 385 block agricultural extension centres across 37 districts next year.

In collaboration with the Tamil Nadu e-governance agency, the departments will also establish e-service centres in 385 agricultural extension centres. A WhatsApp group of farmers at the block level will be formed to allow for instant sharing of information on technologies, market conditions, weather forecasts, subsidies, pests, and disease attacks.

While farmers from all hamlets will be members of the group, administrators will be assistant directors of agriculture. Further, by converging the block level groups, groups will be formed at the district and state levels.

"Through SMS, voice messages, and digital advertisements, the state-level publicity unit will share district-specific information with district groups. This will be forwarded to the block-level farmers' groups, who will disseminate it to others," the minister said.

Also Read:- 

Tamil Nadu Govt. To Provide ₹ 14,000 Crop Loan, Allocate ₹ 1,500 Crore For Allied Activities

Narendra Singh Tomar Inaugurates Blended Learning Platform For Agricultural Higher Education

Tamil Nadu Agriculture Budget: More Focus On Organic Farming And Micro Irrigation