Provide agri sector impetus to address slump, says Anbumani Ramadoss

CHENNAI: Pointing out that the contribution of agriculture in the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of Tamil Nadu has decreased, PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss urged the government to implement progressive measures to develop the sector.

"It is gratifying that the State's economy in 2024-25 has increased by 9.69 per cent. But, the growth of the agriculture sector has decreased by 0.15 per cent. It is saddening that the government has failed to implement schemes to provide an impetus to the sector," Anbumani said in a statement.

He added that while the economy grew by 9.69 per cent on the whole, the service sector witnessed a growth of 12.7 per cent and the manufacturing sector witnessed a growth of 9 per cent.

"While the service sector has only 14 per cent of the population contributing to 53 per cent of the economy, the agriculture sector, with 60 per cent of the population, contributed to only 10 per cent. This will create financial inequality in the State," he warned.

He opined that for the agriculture sector to grow, it should attain 4 per cent growth annually. "Agriculture will become profitable if it reaches 6 per cent annual growth. The government should work towards this target. The government should give importance to the agriculture sector and implement special projects.

Fair procurement prices should be fixed for yields and a fertilizer subsidy of Rs 10,000 should be provided to the farmers every year. Above all, more investments should be made to value addition of agriculture products and setting up of more storage facilities," he demanded.