A section of farmers attending the monthly grievance meeting at Collectorate here on Friday blamed the private companies approved by the government for exorbitant pricing of drip irrigation equipment supplied through the subsidy scheme coordinated by Horticulture department.
K. Thanikodi, a farmer from Usilampatti, alleged that the private companies were charging more than double the market price for certain components for setting up drip irrigation. “However, the government insists that we buy only from them,” he said.
When officials from Horticulture department pointed out that the farmers could choose from a list of 24 companies, Mr. Thanikodi and a few other farmers who supported his allegation said that the companies had formed a cartel and were charging roughly around the same amount. The farmers demanded that they should instead be allowed to choose from any vendor in the market, provided procurement bills were submitted properly to the government for reimbursement.
Highlighting that farmers were asked to take care of transportation and installation, they also insisted that the entire cost be covered in the subsidy.
Pointing out that the scheme subsidised only the materials and not installation or transportation, Collector K. Veera Raghava Rao, who presided over the meeting, said that the list of companies and other provisions of the scheme could not be changed at the district level. “However, I will forward your concerns to the government,” he said.
Other issues
Delay in payment of procurement price to farmers by sugar mills, extension of drip irrigation subsidy for onion cultivation and de-silting of Vaigai dam were other issues that dominated the meeting.
With several farmers raising the demand for de-silting of Vaigai dam, officials from Public Works Department (PWD) responded that a detailed project report for the same had been submitted to the government, which had to decide on the sanctioning of funds.
Protest in Chennai
N. Palanichamy, president, Tamil Nadu Sugarcane Farmers’ Association, pointed out that the private and government-run sugar mills together owed roughly ₹ 2,000 crore to farmers across the State, of which the National Cooperative Sugar Mill in Alanganallur owed ₹ 11 crore. “We are planning a protest in Chennai on Thursday if the government does not initiate measures to settle the dues,” he said.
Farmers also demanded that drip irrigation subsidy be extended for onion cultivation, for which Horticulture department officials said that a proposal had already been sent to the government.
Pointing out that a majority of issues raised at the meeting related to PWD, Collector Rao instructed PWD officials in the rank of Assistant Engineer and Assistant Executive Engineer from every division to be present to properly respond to farmers’ queries.
Similarly, registering his disappointment over the absence of Forest department officials at the meeting despite many issues raised in relation to them, Mr. Rao called the District Forest Officer over phone during the meeting and asked him to ensure that the department was properly represented.
