Agriculture

Tamil Nadu Agriculture Minister Vinoth on Thursday presented the Agriculture Budget 2026-27 in the Legislative Assembly, announcing a series of measures aimed at improving farmers' welfare.

The state government also suspended the fertiliser e-token system and extended the moong procurement deadline following talks with farmer leaders.

Officials said the seizure comes at a time when there is a shortage of urea in the market.

The State Biodiversity Board released ₹2 crore to the forest department for implementation of the Himachal Biodiversity Stakeholder-led Conservation Unified Scheme (HiBiSCUS).

The pulses sowing has also declined to 37.15 lakh hectares from 47.49 lakh hectares last year, the data showed.

The agriculture department has prepared a contingency plan under the leadership of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, anticipating a delayed onset of the monsoon, an early withdrawal and prolonged dry spells during the cropping season, a government official said.

The state pollution control body has said Tata discharged wastewater into a rainwater harvesting pond inside its facility and that the pond overflowed to contaminate "groundwater in the open wells located in the adjacent agricultural lands".

Indian farmers planted soybeans on 12 million hectares in 2025, and industry officials expect the area to rise by up to 10% this year.