CHENNAI: Marking the United Nations' declaration of 2026 as the International Year of Women Farmers, the Tamil Nadu government has unveiled a series of women-centric initiatives in the revised agriculture budget for 2026-27, led by the launch of the "Vetri Vaanmagal" Scheme to create a new cadre of women drone operators in agriculture.
Under the flagship scheme, 500 eligible persons, including 100 women, will be imparted drone operator training and awarded drone pilot licences through the Remote Pilot Training Organisation of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University at a cost of Rs 1.50 crore. Of the trained candidates, 50 women will receive agricultural drones with a 50 per cent subsidy, for which Rs 2.50 crore has been earmarked. The government said the initiative would help women undertake fertiliser and pesticide spraying, crop monitoring and other precision farming operations while addressing the shortage of farm labour.
Describing the initiative as a major step towards empowering women in agriculture, the Minister said that after establishing the "Singappen Force" for women's safety, the Chief Minister is now creating the "Vaanmagal Force" to safeguard agriculture through women drone pilots.
The budget also gives preference to women farmers under the Agricultural Mechanisation Scheme. Priority will be accorded to women for availing subsidies on agricultural machinery, while the maximum subsidy for installation of solar dryers has been enhanced from Rs 3.50 lakh to Rs 4.40 lakh.
Further, women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) have been given a significant role in mechanisation. Of the Rs 4-crore allocation for establishing 50 Village-level Agricultural Machinery Custom Hiring Centres, 30 per cent of the total outlay has been earmarked for Women SHGs, enabling them to operate rental centres providing tractors, power tillers, drones and other farm machinery to cultivators.
Women are also among the beneficiaries of the newly announced Tamil Nadu Micro Greens Scheme, under which 20,000 microgreen kits will be distributed in major cities to popularise cultivation of nutrient-rich microgreens at the household level.
In another women-focused initiative, the budget proposes the establishment of 50 small-scale mushroom production units, primarily targeting rural women and youth, creating opportunities for supplementary income through low-investment horticultural enterprises.
Collectively, the initiatives indicate the government's attempt to move beyond conventional welfare measures by promoting women as technology-enabled farmers, entrepreneurs and service providers, with particular emphasis on drone operations, mechanisation, nutrition gardens and value-added horticulture.