CHENNAI: Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay will soon announce a comprehensive crop loan waiver after completing a review of the proposal, Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister R Vinoth said on Thursday (July 2).
The announcement came after Vinoth inaugurated the 2025-26 special crushing season and the 2026-27 main crushing season at the Moongilthuraipattu Cooperative Sugar Mill in Kallakurichi district. He later inspected the sugarcane crushing process, reviewed the functioning of the machinery and interacted with officials.
Talking to reporters, the minister said the government had already waived crop loans worth Rs 6,000 crore within 40 days of assuming office. He said no government in the past decade had implemented a crop loan waiver of that scale within such a period after taking charge.
"The Chief Minister is examining the proposal for a comprehensive crop loan waiver and will make an announcement soon," Vinoth said.
He said the State budget would include a decision on the support price for sugarcane. The government would also present a separate Agriculture Budget after obtaining representations from farmers across districts.
"The Budget will include measures based on the requirements raised by farmers so that every region receives support suited to its agricultural needs," he said.
Vinoth also said the government was taking steps to establish agriculture-based industries in the Cauvery Delta districts to strengthen value addition for farm produce and generate employment linked to the agriculture sector.