Chennai: Tamil Nadu Cooperative Minister K R Periyakaruppan stated on Tuesday that Chief Minister M K Stalin is set to make an announcement regarding the procurement of sugarcane from farmers, intended to be distributed as part of the Pongal gift package, reported DTNext.
Speaking to the media after a discussion with zonal joint registrars and officials of Cooperative banks, Periyakaruppan confirmed that the Chief Minister is actively considering the matter, with an announcement anticipated soon.
Responding to queries about the possibility of procuring sugarcane for inclusion in the Pongal gift pack, Periyakaruppan highlighted the ongoing discussions surrounding this initiative.
As per media report, in a late-night release on Tuesday, the Minister asserted that the DMK regime has witnessed a substantial increase in the volume of crop loans disbursed to farmers. He noted that the average annual crop loan disbursed during the previous AIADMK regime was Rs 6,064 crore. However, under the DMK government in 2021-22, this figure surpassed the Rs 10,000 crore mark. Additionally, in the fiscal year 2022-23, the government exceeded its target of Rs 12,000 crore, disbursing a total of Rs 13,400 crore. Looking ahead, the government has set an ambitious target of Rs 16,500 crore for the current fiscal year.
