Chennai, Jun 27 (IANS): The Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) on Sunday released Tamil Nadu's shadow agricultural budget for the year 2021-22.

PMK founder president S.Ramadoss released the party's 14th shadow agricultural budget focusing on 75 specific areas and over 250 suggestions aimed to create and develop agricultural infrastructure and agricultural education infrastructure.

The budget also focuses to achieve an agricultural growth of 6 per cent from negative growth in the past.

Ramadoss, while speaking at the occasion, said that the total amount allocated in the agricultural budget was Rs 47,500 crore.

He added, "We are happy and we welcome the Governor's address which mentions that a specific agricultural budget will be allocated to the state."

The PMK founder further said that the party has focused on 75 specific areas in the report.

He added: "Every year we give prominence for one aspect of agriculture, and this year we have focused on agricultural education."

The PMK founder leader said that there was a need to create cold storage facilities to safeguard perishable products like vegetables, flowers, and fruits.

Ramadoss said that massive storage facilities must be created to store grains.

The report also mentions on linking of Godavari- Cauvery rivers, expanding the Cauvery- Gundaru river project, Athikadavu- Avinasi project, and allotment of Rs 1,00,000 crore worth water irrigation projects.

Anbumani Ramadoss, son of S. Ramadoss and former Union Health Minister who is also the youth wing leader of the PMK said that the party has created the budget with the support and inputs of 100 serving bureaucrats of the state government.

He said, "Tamil Nadu is a state which is second in the country as far as the production of vegetables is concerned but we export only 1 per cent - 2 per cent of this product as we lack cold storage facilities.

If we are in power we will create cold storage so that perishable products can be saved. To safeguard the grains produced, we will have to create massive cold storage. We need to create infrastructure for food processing, value- addition industries and transportation."

The former Union Minister said, "The previous AIADMK government accepted our proposal of creating a 'Protected Special Agricultural Zone' in the Delta region".

He said "Former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami announced the Delta region as 'Protected Special Agricultural Zone' and the PMK extensively campaigned for this. It is a big achievement. He also waived farmer's loans and we expect and hope that the DMK would also implement these ideas".

He added that the PMK would function as a responsible Opposition party and added that the party would welcome the government if they implement good schemes and oppose the government if they pursue wrong policies.