Tamil Nadu to become third state to present separate agri budget on Aug 14

While experts are divided over the outcome; Andhra experience shows positive signs

On August 14, Tamil Nadu will will become the third state -- after Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh -- to have a separate agricultural budget. While experts believe that this is nothing more than a political move, data available from Andhra Pradesh indicates that such a move might actually boost the sector.

The tradition of having an exclusive budget for agriculture was started by Karnataka in 2011-12 in order to give a focused approach to the sector. Andhra Pradesh followed in 2013-14, terming it as a policy paper on agriculture. Though states like Telangana, Rajasthan and Bihar too had similar plans,