Farm sector’s continued poor performance, an area of concern for Tamil Nadu

Agriculture is the anemic spot of Tamil Nadu’s system arsenic the assemblage has registered lone a antagonistic maturation successful the past 2 years (2023-24 and 2024-25), according to a perusal of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s latest handbook of statistic connected Indian States.

However, acknowledgment to the acold amended show of the secondary and tertiary sectors, the State has been capable to turn successful an awesome manner. For the intent of this study, constant prices (base: 2011-12) person been considered. 

As for full nutrient grains (which screen rice, pulses and coarse cereals successful the discourse of Tamil Nadu), the accumulation hovered astir 107 - 120 lakh tonnes. The highest of 119.98 lakh tonnes was achieved successful 2021-22, the twelvemonth aft the COVID-19 pandemic and the lowest of 107 lakh tonnes was recorded successful 2023-24. 

As acold arsenic the State is concerned, portion atom remains the pb constituent of the full nutrient grains, coarse cereals, particularly millets,  travel adjacent with pulses contributing marginally.  While the accumulation of atom and coarse cereals has been, by and large, comfy implicit the years, experts are of the presumption that the State should absorption connected producing much pulses, whose accumulation is astir 3.6 lakh tonnes. In 2014-15, the accumulation was arsenic precocious arsenic 7.5 lakh tonnes.  

As for non-food grains, the accumulation of cotton, sugarcane and oilseeds has seen a southward trend. The betterment successful this country volition surely boost the show of agriculture, constituent retired the experts. 

For example, the State, 20 years ago, produced oilseeds to the tune of  11.5 lakh tonnes, a fig that has not been exceeded truthful far.  Again, successful cotton, the accumulation dwindled to 2.1 lakh bales past year  whereas it was 6.86 lakh bales successful 2014-15. The autumn successful sugarcane accumulation was overmuch much evident with the fig being astir 133.5 lakh tonnes. In 2006-07, the State produced 411 lakh tonnes. 

A big of factors is cited by the experts for the show of the workplace sector. Vagaries of the monsoon, terms fluctuations successful the unfastened marketplace and deficiency of procurement statement for crops different than paddy (rice), non-availability of galore caller varieties  are mentioned by the experts, who emphasise that coordinated efforts among argumentation makers - some astatine the level of Union and State governments, cultivation scientists and farmers person to beryllium made to amended the showing of the workplace sector. More value to raising horticultural crops, peculiarly successful rain-fed areas, has to beryllium provided, the experts add.