Tamil Nadu to Build Nine Seed Warehouses, Boost Agri Infrastructure
Tamil Nadu will set up nine seed storage warehouses across seven districts at ₹11.64 crore, alongside other agricultural infrastructure measures.
The Tamil Nadu government has approved the construction of nine seed storage warehouses across seven districts, with a total investment of ₹11.64 crore. The facilities will be located in Thanjavur (Kaattuthottam and Pattukkottai), Mayiladuthurai (Nagamangalam), Pudukkottai (Vellalaviduthi), Dharmapuri (Papparapatti), Salem (Danishpet), Tiruppur (Madathukulam), and Tiruvarur (Kanchikudigadu and Keerandhi). The warehouses are designed to maintain the quality, germination capacity, and vigour of seeds procured from farmers.
In a related move, four new Sub-Agricultural Extension Centre buildings, equipped with seed storage facilities, will be established at Enkan (Tiruvarur), Indur (Dharmapuri), Neelakandarayapettai (Ranipet), and Karumandampalayam (Erode) at a cost of ₹2.85 crore. These centres aim to bring quality agricultural inputs closer to rural communities.
The state is also investing in the cooperative sugar sector. Modern Swing-type Fibrizor Units with motors will be installed at the Kallakurichi-1 and Tiruthani cooperative sugar mills for ₹8.58 crore. With an extraction efficiency exceeding 85%, these units are expected to improve sugar recovery and minimise losses.
To promote beekeeping as a supplementary income source and enhance pollination, the government will distribute 28,500 beekeeping boxes and 2,850 honey extraction units at a cost of ₹6.84 crore.
Support for farmer producer organisations (FPOs) includes a 50% subsidy, capped at ₹10 lakh per vehicle, for five FPOs to purchase refrigerated cargo vehicles. This is intended to help them transport aggregated produce to markets efficiently and reduce reliance on intermediaries. Additionally, 100 FPOs will receive a back-ended subsidy of ₹10 lakh each for acquiring electronic moisture meters to assess produce quality before sale.
Finally, the state will seek Geographical Indication (GI) tags for ten agricultural products, including Kancheepuram Pari Milagai, Chidambaram Black Gram, Tiruvaiyaru Leaf Banana, Cuddalore Vetiver, Manapparai Brinjal, Ooty Garlic, and Jawadhu sesame. An allocation of ₹30 lakh has been made for this exercise.