Agriculture

Permanent Settlement extended to Madras Presidency

The zamindari Permanent Settlement, first applied in Bengal, was introduced in parts of the Madras Presidency.

Village Settlement revenue experiment

A Village Settlement system of land revenue was tried in several Tamil districts before ryotwari became the norm.

Company engineers begin remodelling the Grand Anicut

Captain Caldwell was appointed in 1804 to study the Kaveri and raised the ancient Grand Anicut to send more water to the delta.

John Sullivan explores the Nilgiris

Coimbatore Collector John Sullivan set out to explore the Nilgiri hills, leading to the founding of Ootacamund.

Ryotwari system adopted in Madras Presidency

Under Thomas Munro the ryotwari land revenue system, dealing directly with cultivators, became the main settlement in Madras.

Coffee planting begins at Yercaud

Salem Collector M. D. Cockburn helped start coffee estates at Yercaud in the Shevaroy Hills during the 1820s.

Arthur Cotton builds the Upper Anaicut at Mukkombu

Arthur Cotton built the Upper Anaicut regulator where the Kollidam branches from the Kaveri, between 1836 and 1838.

Parry's sugar factory at Nellikuppam

The firm founded by Thomas Parry set up a sugar plant at Nellikuppam, described as the first in India.

Government Botanical Garden laid out at Ooty

William Graham McIvor of Kew laid out the Government Botanical Garden at Ootacamund.

Cinchona introduced to the Nilgiris

Cinchona plants brought from South America by Clements Markham's expedition were planted at Ootacamund as a source of quinine.

Agricultural school opens at Saidapet

An agricultural school was started at Saidapet, Madras, the institution that later became the agricultural college at Coimbatore.

Mullaperiyar Dam completed

The Periyar dam, built under John Pennycuick between 1887 and 1895, began diverting water east to the Madurai region of the Madras Presidency.

Madras Veterinary College established

Housed at first in a modest building called Doblin Hall, the Madras Veterinary College opened its doors on 1 October 1903.

Madras Agricultural College moves to Coimbatore

The Saidapet agricultural school moved to Coimbatore in 1906, and the Agricultural College and Research Institute opened there in 1909.

Mettur Dam completed

The Mettur Dam across the Cauvery was completed, creating the Stanley Reservoir and expanding irrigation in the delta.

Madras Agriculturists Relief Act eases peasant debt

A law to reduce the debts of indebted farmers in the Madras Presidency was brought in by the Rajagopalachari ministry.

Lower Bhavani (Bhavanisagar) Dam completed

Work was completed on the Bhavanisagar Dam over the Bhavani river, the first major irrigation project of independent India.

Amaravathi Dam built

The Amaravathi Dam was built across the Amaravathi river near Udumalpet for irrigation and flood control.

Krishnagiri Reservoir Project dam opened

Chief Minister K. Kamaraj inaugurated the Krishnagiri dam across the Thenpennai river.

Sathanur Dam completed

The Sathanur Dam across the Thenpennai river near Tiruvannamalai became operational under the Second Five Year Plan.

Manimuthar Dam built in Tirunelveli

The Manimuthar Dam was built near Kallidaikurichi in Tirunelveli district to store monsoon water for irrigation.

Vaigai Dam inaugurated

Chief Minister K. Kamaraj inaugurated the Vaigai Dam, which supplies irrigation and drinking water to Madurai and the southern districts.

Aliyar Dam of the Parambikulam-Aliyar Project inaugurated

Prime Minister Nehru inaugurated the Aliyar Dam, part of the inter-state Parambikulam-Aliyar irrigation project.

C. Subramaniam becomes Union Food and Agriculture Minister

Under the leadership of C. Subramaniam of Madras, high-yielding seeds were introduced, starting the Green Revolution.

Madras Fertilizers incorporated

A Government of India and Amoco joint venture, Madras Fertilizers, was incorporated to produce fertilisers at Manali.

Agricultural Labourer Fair Wages Act

Under a 1969 law, Cauvery delta farm labourers had to be paid fair wages, and landowners who exploited them faced penalties.

Land ceiling reduced to 15 standard acres

A 1970 Tamil Nadu law halved the family land ceiling, cutting it from 30 to 15 standard acres.

Tamil Nadu Agricultural University established

The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University came into existence with its headquarters in Coimbatore.

November 1977 cyclone strikes Nagapattinam and the Cauvery delta

A very severe cyclonic storm made landfall at Nagapattinam, killing about 560 people and affecting around 10 lakh people in Tamil Nadu.

Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University founded

A separate university for veterinary and animal sciences, TANUVAS, was established at Madhavaram Milk Colony in Madras.

Free electricity for farmers announced

The DMK government announced free power for agricultural pump sets, extending a 1984 scheme for small and marginal farmers to all farmers.

Koyambedu wholesale market complex opens

On Chennai's western side, the Koyambedu Wholesale Market Complex, one of the largest perishable goods markets in Asia, was opened.

Theni district carved out of Madurai

A government order of 7 July 1996 split Madurai district to form Theni district.

Namakkal district begins functioning

Split from Salem district in July 1996, Namakkal district began operating on its own from 1 January 1997.

C. Subramaniam awarded the Bharat Ratna

Former Union minister C. Subramaniam, a Congress leader from Tamil Nadu who ushered in the Green Revolution, was awarded the Bharat Ratna.

First Uzhavar Sandhai farmers' market opens in Madurai

Madurai hosted the first market of the DMK government's Uzhavar Sandhai scheme, where farmers could sell their produce straight to buyers.

Chief Minister's Uzhavar Pathukappu Thittam

A farmers' security scheme gave registered landless labourers, small farmers and tenants cash help for education, marriage, death and old age.

Cyclone Thane strikes Cuddalore and Puducherry

Thane, a very severe cyclonic storm, crossed the coast between Cuddalore and Puducherry, wrecking homes, crops and trees.

Madurai malli recognised as a geographical indication

Madurai jasmine became the first flower from Tamil Nadu to be given geographical indication status.

Neduvasal protests against hydrocarbon extraction

Villagers of Neduvasal in Pudukkottai district protested against a central plan to extract hydrocarbons from farmland.

Cyclone Gaja devastates the Cauvery delta

Cyclone Gaja crossed the coast near Vedaranyam, killing dozens and destroying coconut groves, homes and boats in the delta districts.

Erode turmeric gets a geographical indication

The Government of India recognised Erode turmeric (Erode manjal) as a geographical indication.

Cauvery delta declared a protected special agricultural zone

Tamil Nadu declared the Cauvery delta a protected special agricultural zone, barring new hydrocarbon and similar projects.

Rs. 12,110 crore cooperative crop loan waiver

Ahead of the 2021 election, Palaniswami waived crop loans from cooperative banks for about 16 lakh farmers after cyclones damaged crops.

TVK government's cooperative crop loan waiver

Cooperative crop loans taken from May 2025 to February 2026 were waived by the Vijay government, a relief that eventually reached 14.43 lakh farmers.