Tamil Nadu Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, MRK Panneerselvam on Tuesday presented the agriculture budget for 2024-25 in the assembly and announced new initiatives, including those aimed at improving soil fertility.

In his budget speech, the minister said the indiscriminate use of chemical fertilisers, herbicides, and pesticides, has led to a decline in overall soil fertility.

Recognising the imperative to shift towards sustainable and chemical-free agricultural practices for the well-being of society, he said a new flagship scheme the 'Chief Minister's Mannuyir Kaathu Mannuyir Kaappom Scheme' (CM MK MKS--CM's scheme to protect soil fertility) with '22 components' will be implemented at an outlay of Rs 206 crore during the year 2024-2025.

Steps to reduce chemical fertilisers in paddy crop, measures to nurture villages to help them tackle climate change were among the announcements the Minister made in the House.

Also, Panneerselvam announced seed distribution to encourage traditional paddy varieties that could help fight against diabetes.

Also he set apart Rs 65.30 crore for millet crops, the purposes include optimising yield.