Even after a month since Rs. 500 and Rs.1,000 notes were withdrawn, the much controversial demonetisation affects people irrespective of their occupation. While small and large scale industries have been affected at various levels ranging from cash crunch to decline in demand for products, farmers are no exception.
G.M. Natarajan, a retired principal of Government Arts College, Coimbatore, had invested a good share of his retirement benefits in agriculture. Now he laments that over three acres of land at Kalangal village near Sulur where he had sowed urad dal around three months ago had completely dried up, as he was unable to employ daily wage workers.
According to Mr.Natarajan, he was unable to withdraw money from the bank to purchase fertilisers, pesticides, and to pay wages for workers.
“I have an account with the Gandhipuram branch of Canara Bank in which a good sum of my retirement benefits were deposited. Though I have the balance of about Rs. 3 lakh in the account, I was told by the bank authorities that they did not have money. I literally wept before the officer narrating my situation. Now I am unable to employ workers as they demand wage at the end of the day”, said Mr. Natarajan, who used to employ around 15 workers in his field most of the days.
The 70-year-old man adds that his age did not permit him to stand in the queues in front of ATM kiosks to get the daily limit of Rs.2,500 (in most cases limited to Rs.2,000 due to shortage of Rs.100 and Rs.500 notes ) withdrawn. The daily wage of workers ranges from Rs. 300 to Rs.400. Most daily wage workers do not have a bank account, and now they are struggling for a living, he said.
“With not enough money in hand to pay wages to workers, weeds have grown in the field. Ideally, the weeds had to be plucked a week ago. Now the weeds have grown up, chocking urad dal crop. All efforts done on the land have been wasted”, said Mr. Natarajan, who ventured into the cultivation of millets out of passion towards agriculture.
According to Mr.Natarajan, crops on several acres of land in villages near Sulur have completely withered after left unattended by the farmers. Small scale farmers are the most affected category as they do not have enough money as savings. Mr. Natarajan said that he was planning to stage a protest, along with farmers from Sulur area, in front of the District Collectorate seeking intervention to overcome the crisis.
