Tamil Nadu to Set up GRAINS Portal to Digitally Revolutionize Farm Sector

GRAINS (Grower Online Registration of Agriculture Input System) will be a new portal where details of bank accounts, Aadhar numbers of landowners and cultivators, land details, and crop cultivation details will be collected and digitized to provide farmers in need of government assistance with a one-stop solution.

Minister M R K Panneerselvam said in the assembly, while presenting the agricultural budget, that farmers would no longer have to visit several government offices to benefit from agri-sector initiatives.

"GRAINS portal will be built to enable farmers to conveniently obtain advantages from several government schemes such as crop loan, incentive for paddy and sugarcane, relief assistance under the state disaster response fund, and perks from 13 agriculture and related departments," the minister added.

Agriculture secretary C Samayamoorthy told media that the government was gathering information regarding cultivators, owners, and rightful successors of the owners, adding that many farmers were growing on temple property.

Following the successful deployment of cashless benefits transfer in 37 agricultural extension centres, the agriculture department plans to expand the service to all 385 block agricultural extension centres in 37 districts next year.

In collaboration with the Tamil Nadu e-governance agency, the department will also establish e-service centres in 385 agricultural extension centres. Farmers will join WhatsApp groups at the block level to promote rapid sharing of information on technology, market circumstances, weather forecasts, subsidies, pests and disease attacks.

While farmers from all hamlets will be members of the group, administrators will be assistant directors of agriculture. "Moreover, by converging the block level groups, groups will be developed at the district and state levels. Using SMS, voice messaging, and digital advertisements, the state-level PR unit will disseminate district-specific information with district groups. This will be transmitted to the block-level farmers' associations, who will propagate it to others," the minister stated.