The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday said that the ‘Cotton Cultivation Mission’ would be implemented with a financial allocation of ₹14.20 crore in the State during 2024-25.
Presenting the Agriculture Budget in the Assembly, Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare M.R.K. Panneerselvam said the allocation for the implementation of the mission would further augment cotton production to 5.50 lakh bales.
The ‘Cotton Cultivation Mission’ was aimed at enhancing the income of cotton farmers by producing substantial quantities of long staple and extra long staple cotton and ensuring timely supply to spinning mills, he said.
“As a result, the cotton area has witnessed a notable increase from 2.76 lakh acres in 2020-2021 to 4.27 lakh acres in 2022-2023. The production has also surged from 2.42 lakh bales to 3.19 lakh bales,” Mr. Panneerselvam said.
Tamil Nadu was widely recognised as the ‘yarn bowl’ of India and held a significant place in the production of cotton as a commercial crop, he said.
Solar fencing
Pointing out the rise in animal-human conflicts, the Minister said solar-powered fencing systems would be installed in agricultural fields during 2024-25. “This initiative will cover a length of 75,000 metres of solar fence with an allocation of ₹2 crore.”
