Tamil Nadu is set to implement an ‘Uzhavar Artificial Intelligence (AI) Project’ this year, aimed at helping farmers access government schemes and other knowledge-based agricultural services more easily through their mobile phones. The initiative is planned at an estimated cost of Rs 2 crore.
The announcement comes amid expectations of a ‘Super El Niño’ impact on the Kuruvai season in the state, with forecasts indicating higher impact in 12 districts. The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University has prepared a district-level agricultural contingency plan for all districts and sent it to collectors, with steps being readied for implementation.
For 2026–27, the state has set a food production target of 1.25 crore tonnes, while also aiming to raise output of pulses, vegetables and fruits to move towards self-sufficiency and improved nutrition security.
Several other agriculture-focused allocations and programmes were also outlined. These include Rs 7,432.58 crore towards charges payable to the power utility for free three-phase electricity service to farmers, and a Tamil Nadu Soil Health Protection Mission as a five-year plan worth Rs 600 crore, including soil health cards, subsidised green manure seeds, and a ploughing subsidy of Rs 3,000 per acre.
The state also plans support for seed production and crop missions, including Rs 34.72 crore for paddy seed production subsidy after the central subsidy was withdrawn, and funding for pulses, oilseeds, millets, new nutrient-rich crops, cotton revival, and a maize development programme intended to benefit farmers across a large acreage.
