COIMBATORE: The Nilgiris district has secured the first place in Tamil Nadu with 100% registration under the unique farmer identification number scheme, while Coimbatore ranks fifth with 86.3% registration.According to the agriculture department, farmers without the unique identification number will not be eligible to avail benefits under govt subsidy schemes.M Thamilselvi, joint director of agriculture, Coimbatore, said it has become mandatory for farmers to register their land ownership documents and obtain the unique farmer ID to receive benefits under both central and state govt schemes.The Agri Stack project is a central govt digital initiative aimed at digitizing farmers’ data along with land records and issuing each farmer with a unique identification number like Aadhaar (Unique Farmer ID).The PM-KISAN scheme has been in operation since 2018, under which farmers receive Rs 6,000 per year in three instalments of Rs 2,000 every four months from the central govt. With the 22nd instalment of PM-KISAN set to be released soon to farmers across the country, the agriculture department has urged farmers in Tamil Nadu who have not yet obtained the farmer ID to do so immediately.Under the Agri Stack project, farmers’ details along with land records are being registered, and a separate unique ID number is being issued to each farmer. Officials from the agriculture, horticulture and hill crops, agricultural engineering, agricultural marketing and agribusiness departments, along with revenue department officials, are jointly involved in collecting farmers’ data.In the coming years, benefits under schemes such as PM-KISAN, crop insurance and other central and state govt programmes will be disbursed based on the farmers’ database. Through this, farmers can access benefits from various departments under a single-window system, without the need for repeated document verification while applying for government schemes.In Coimbatore district, out of 85,429 farmers, 73,731 have registered, while 11,698 have yet to complete registration. The agriculture department is undertaking field-level efforts to ensure that no farmer is left out. Officials have warned that those without the unique farmer ID will not be recognized as eligible farmers and may not be able to avail subsidy benefits in the future.However, the Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangam opposed the farmer unique identification number scheme. “Tamil Nadu govt should clarify the purpose of enrolling farmers for a new unique ID,” said Dr G Ranganathan, state executive committee member of the association.Farmer ID registration*The Nilgiris district tops in TN with 100% farmer ID registration*Kanyakumari comes second with 92.9 % registration*Tirupur third with 89.4 %*Ranipet fourth with 87.4 %*Coimbatore ranks fifth position with 86.3% registrationWhere to register to get the unique numbersFarmers can upload their land documents and Aadhaar number on*http://pmkisan.gov.in*https://tnfr.agristack.gov.in/farmer-registry-tn/#/* tnshayak app*Common service centres
