Malaivazh Uzhavar Munnetra Thittam (Hill Farmers Development Scheme)
₹22.80 crore for around 63,000 hill farmers across 20 districts — millet subsidy, vegetable expansion, farm inputs, micro-irrigation, mechanisation and a Kisan Credit Card.
Run by: Department of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, Government of Tamil Nadu
- Budget outlay
- ₹22.80 crore
- Farmers targeted
- ~63,000
- Districts covered
- 20 hill/rain-fed districts
- Announced
- 2025-26 Agriculture Budget
Overview
Tamil Nadu's hill and rain-fed tracts — the Nilgiris and parts of Kanniyakumari, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri and 16 other districts — farm on slopes and thinner soils where the usual plains-focused schemes fit poorly. Malaivazh Uzhavar Munnetra Thittam ("Hill Farmers' Progress Scheme") was announced by Agriculture Minister MRK Panneerselvam in the state's 2025-26 Agriculture Budget as a dedicated basket of support for exactly these farmers, with ₹22.80 crore set aside to reach about 63,000 of them.
Rather than one single subsidy, the scheme bundles several things a hill farmer actually needs: help to grow minor millets, which suit dry, sloped land better than paddy; a push to expand hill vegetable cultivation; farm inputs and mechanisation support sized for small, terraced plots; value addition for what is grown; micro-irrigation to stretch scarce hill-country water; support for Integrated Farming Systems that combine crops with livestock or horticulture; and a Kisan Credit Card for beneficiaries who don't already have one.
Coverage runs across 20 districts identified for hill and rain-fed farming — including the Nilgiris, Tiruvannamalai, Salem, Kallakurichi, Namakkal, Tiruchirappalli, Dindigul, Tirupathur, Tirunelveli, Vellore, Kanniyakumari, Theni, Tenkasi, Virudhunagar, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Erode, Tiruppur, Villupuram and Coimbatore — administered through the same district and block agriculture offices that run other input-subsidy schemes, rather than a separate scheme portal.
What you get
The benefit as the state notifies it — nothing here is an estimate.
- Subsidy support to grow minor millets suited to hill and rain-fed land, instead of forcing water-hungry crops onto slopes.
- Assistance to expand hill vegetable cultivation, a cash-earning option for hill farmers.
- Farm inputs and small-plot mechanisation aimed at terraced and sloped fields.
- Micro-irrigation support to make scarce hill-country water go further.
- A Kisan Credit Card for beneficiaries who do not already hold one, opening up affordable crop-season credit.
Who is eligible
State schemes usually state their criteria as prose rather than a checklist. This is that prose, unpacked — the department’s verification is what decides.
You qualify if
- Farmer cultivating land in one of the 20 notified hill/rain-fed districts
- Land record and farmer registration held with the district agriculture office / Uzhavan records
- Growing, or willing to grow, one of the scheme's focus crops — minor millets, hill vegetables, or an integrated cropping mix
- Not already covered for the same component under another department subsidy in the same season
Not covered
- Farmers outside the 20 notified hill/rain-fed districts
- Land not registered with the local agriculture office
- Duplicate claims for an input already subsidised under a different scheme in the same year
Documents you need
Have these ready before you start — most rejections are a missing paper, not a missing right.
- Land ownership / patta or lease record
- Aadhaar card
- Bank passbook
- Passport-size photograph
- Existing Kisan Credit Card details, if already held
How to apply
Fewer steps than a central scheme, and usually one office rather than a portal.
- 1
Approach the block agriculture office
Contact the Assistant Agriculture Officer or block office in your hill/rain-fed district — the scheme runs through the regular district agriculture setup, not a separate portal.
- 2
Pick the component that fits your farm
Register for the relevant piece — millet seed/input subsidy, vegetable-area expansion, mechanisation, micro-irrigation, or the Kisan Credit Card — with your land and farmer records.
- 3
Verification and release
The agriculture office verifies land and eligibility before releasing the input or subsidy amount, or forwarding the KCC application to the bank.
If something goes wrong
Missing from the list, or payment stuck — here is the channel the department itself publishes for it.
- For a component you registered for but did not receive, or land/eligibility recorded wrongly, take it up with the Assistant Agriculture Officer and the Assistant Director of Agriculture for your block, then the Joint Director of Agriculture at the district. The state Farmers' helpline is 044-28583323.
- Beyond the department, use the Tamil Nadu CM Helpline (Mudhalvarin Mugavari) — toll-free 1100 (7am–10pm), cmhelpline.tnega.org, the "CMHelpline Citizen" app, or [email protected]. Keep your Aadhaar or family card number and the complaint reference.
Frequently asked questions
Is this one single cash benefit, or several different things?
It's a bundle — millet and input subsidy, vegetable-area expansion help, mechanisation, micro-irrigation and a Kisan Credit Card all sit under one scheme umbrella, and a farmer typically draws on the piece relevant to their farm.
I farm in the plains — can I apply?
No — this scheme is specifically for the 20 identified hill and rain-fed districts; plains farmers should look at the regular input-subsidy and millet-mission schemes instead.
Do I need a Kisan Credit Card before I can benefit?
No — if you don't already have one, getting you a KCC is itself one of the scheme's components; it is not a precondition for the other support.
Is there a separate portal or form for this scheme?
No. It runs through the regular district and block agriculture offices and the Uzhavan / TNAU records, not a dedicated scheme portal.
How was the ₹22.80 crore meant to be used?
It was the outlay announced in the 2025-26 Agriculture Budget to reach about 63,000 hill and rain-fed farmers across the 20 notified districts, spread across the scheme's components rather than paid as a flat amount per farmer.
Facts checked against www.tnagrisnet.tn.gov.in on 8 September 2026. editorial policy.