CHENNAI: Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare MRK Panneerselvam on Friday informed the Assembly that the farming community is pleased with the Agriculture budget, which focuses on holistic development. He highlighted that both the cultivation area and yield have significantly increased under the DMK government.

Over the past three years, the cultivation area grew by 12 lakh acres, increasing the total area to 96 lakh acres from 84 lakh acres under the previous AIADMK regime, apart from a rise in yield, he told the House. The yield of food crops rose from 432.29 lakh metric tonnes in the AIADMK period to 456.39 lakh metric tonnes under the DMK rule, with an additional 22.10 lakh metric tonnes in the last four years, the minister explained during his response to the debate on the Agriculture Budget for the fiscal year 2025-2026.