CHENNAI: PMK president Dr Anbumani Ramadoss on Monday released the party’s shadow agriculture budget for 2026-27, proposing an outlay of Rs 93,000 crore for agriculture and irrigation.
The party said that Rs 1.5 lakh crore, which is nearly 25% of the state’s budget, should be allocated for agriculture and other related sectors. PMK said that its 19th shadow budget has earmarked 4.46 times the money the state government allocated for agriculture in its 2025-26 budget.
The budget allocated Rs 68,000 crore for the agriculture department and Rs 25,000 crore for irrigation projects. The party has proposed Rs 13,000 crore for farm input subsidy, Rs 25,000 crore for agriculture infrastructure, education, and research, and Rs 30,000 crore for crop insurance and other welfare schemes.
The shadow budget included a proposal of Rs 5,000 per acre special subsidy for kuruvai cultivation and Rs 12,000 per acre as farm input subsidy, subject to a maximum of three acres. PMK also promised to waive crop loans obtained from cooperative banks and to repay loans up to Rs 1 lakh borrowed by small and marginal farmers from public sector banks.
The party has proposed increasing the procurement price of paddy to Rs 3,500 per quintal and sugarcane to Rs 5,000 per tonne, It also promised a new law to make government procurement of farm produce compulsory, creation of 6,000 DPCs, and a dedicated board for agricultural procurement. The shadow budget included plans to expand irrigation, complete major river-linking projects and prevent the construction of Mekedatu dam.
