CHENNAI: Promoting household nutrition and chemical-free food production, the State government on Thursday announced two new initiatives to encourage home gardening and microgreens cultivation, with a special focus on urban households and apartment dwellers.

Presenting the Agriculture Budget in the Assembly, Agriculture-Farmers’ Welfare Minister Vinoth said the ‘Vetri Illatharasi Veetu Thottam’ scheme would be launched with an allocation of Rs 10 crore to encourage families to cultivate vegetables, fruits and medicinal plants at home.

Under the initiative, beneficiaries will be provided with grow bag kits, vertical gardens and hydroponic garden systems, enabling residents of apartments in urban areas and households in rural regions to produce fresh, chemical-free food using natural manures. The Minister said the scheme aims to improve nutritional security while promoting environmentally sustainable practices.

Complementing the initiative, the government also announced the Tamil Nadu Micro Greens Scheme, a first-of-its-kind programme to popularise the cultivation of nutrient-rich microgreens among the public.

As part of the scheme, 20,000 microgreen kits containing seeds, seedling trays, cocopeat blocks, hand sprayers and user manuals will be distributed in Chennai, Coimbatore and Tiruchirappalli.

Microgreens—young seedlings of crops such as broccoli, cabbage, radish, green gram, chickpea, onion and leafy vegetables, are considered significantly more nutritious than mature plants. The government has allocated Rs 1.20 crore for implementing the programme during 2026-27.