Shivraj Singh Chouhan interacted with farmers at ICAR-Krisi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) in Vellore. Photo credit: C. VENKATACHALAPATHY
Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday said the Center and Tamil Nadu governments should work together to award paddy procurement for the benefit of farmers in the state.
He was responding to a question from reporters whether any decision had been taken related to the Tamil Nadu government’s demand that the Center reduce the permissible moisture content for paddy procurement from 17% to 22% due to rain. “We should not blame each other (Centre – TN government). Instead, we should work together. In procurement of paddy, the Center has never done as many contracts as before. The MSP (minimum support price) of rice has also been increased to give fair price to farmers, he noted.
The Minister was here as part of the ongoing Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan (VKSA) – a nationwide campaign celebrating India’s progress in agriculture and reaffirming the collective resolve of ‘One Agriculture – One Country – One Team’.
Here he interacted with farmers from ICAR-Krisi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) where the farmers emphasized the need to provide MSP for organic farming. “The practice of providing free seeds to organic farmers should be resumed after it was stopped a few years ago. Adequate training for agriculture in organic farming methods should also be provided regularly,” said P. Jothi, a farmer.
Mr. Chouhan said the Tamil Nadu government should identify eligible farmers in the state to enroll them in the PM-Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PM-DDKY) and other centrally sponsored schemes that will benefit farmers. In this regard, he said that he will write to Chief Minister MK Stalin to prepare a list of eligible farmers who can be included in the scheme as beneficiaries.
The former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh noted that as a pulse-deficient state, Tamil Nadu should focus on increasing the overall production of pulses through various centrally sponsored schemes, using improved varieties, management technologies, processing and marketing in percentage terms. He also appreciated the legume varieties released by the National Legume Research Center TNAU.
The minister assured the affected farmers that an expert team from his ministry would soon conduct a field study on the pests and diseases faced by coconut farmers in the region. “The center will also explore the possibility of establishment, promotion and processing of mango to make it profitable for the farmers,” he said.
P. Kumaravel Pandian, Director, Department of Horticulture and Plantation Crops, R. Thamizh Vendan, Vice-Chancellor, TNAU and Shaik N. Meera, Director, ICARATARI (Hyderabad) were present on the occasion.
Published – 25 October 2025 22:50 IST
