The State government should make arrangements for granting fresh loans to the farming community before August 10 to meet the requirements of the kharif season, failing which farmers will turn to the agitation path in September, the State convention organised by Bharatiya Kisan Sabha (BKS) declared here on Friday.
More than 35 farmers from all 13 districts attended the meeting on the loan wavier offer by the State government and its impact on their lives. “Loan waiver is like administering ‘saline’ to a patient. It is not the end of the treatment but the beginning. We have so many issues haunting us, and the onus is on the government to restore the self-respect of farmers,” said Mr. Ram Babu, State president, BKS.
He said though the loan waiver of Rs. 1.50 lakh per family and Rs. 1 lakh per SHG was taken in the interests of farmers and women, the State government was partial towards the farming community. The farmers demanded that the government take permanent measures so that they would remain debt-free. “We do not want to take money from others. We should be making money with our produce, and it is time the government introduced a free market,” Mr. Ram Babu said.
The farmers felt that the successive governments had taken the farming community for a ride. “They take up padayatras to win the trust of the farming segment, and once they come to power, they ignore farmers’ concerns,” they felt.
“Agriculture is not viable any more. It is a pity that the farmer cannot sell his produce in the next district, leave alone exporting it. The lop-sided polices of the government are crippling the farming sector. The farming section, which was once given equal importance along with industries, is losing its sheen,” they said.
“We need to take the support of political parties to wage a battle against the anti-farmer policies of the RBI,” they added.
