All indicators point to decline in agricultural yield in Mysuru region which has registered almost 50% below normal rains during the peak monsoon season in June and July this year.
With the southwest monsoon entering its final phase, experts fear it is unlikely that rains during August can make up for the shortfall in June and July — reckoned to be two of the wettest months. Hence, agricultural activity and crop production for the kharif season is set to take a hit though intermittent rains as being witnessed since the last few days may help salvage the standing crop to a certain extent. Besides, agriculture takes place under rain-fed conditions on 2,82,000 hectares, while only 1,14,100 hectares comes under irrigated land. Hence, inadequate moisture is bound to affect crop yield.
The uncertainty is also indicated in a lull in farmers availing fresh crop loans from commercial banks, according to a senior official of a nationalised bank. He said there were not many farmers seeking renewal or re-phasing of the current outstanding loans for the kharif season this year.
There is a general perception and optimism among farmers that the government may declare a drought and announce a loan waiver and hence, farmers are hesitating to pay the interest component or even rescheduling their loan payment, he added. There were nearly 1.7 lakh crop loan accounts in the district, besides 2.5 lakh agricultural loan accounts in the district.
Kurubur Shanthakumar, president of the State Sugarcane Cultivators’ Association, told The Hindu that farmers were more keen to raise personal loan to eke out a living owing to successive crop failure because of drought rather than avail fresh agricultural or crop loan.
The rescheduling of crop loans and raising fresh loan for the current year entails on us to pay the outstanding interest. But, there is no money because of crop failure owing to two consecutive years of drought, Mr. Shanthakumar said.
He said the loan waiver announced by the State government was an eyewash as the waiver was limited to ₹50,000 only for loans availed from cooperative banks whereas a majority of the farmers are in a debt trap with the interest component compounding over the years.
Most farmers have availed loan from commercial banks and the average outstanding loan ranges from ₹1.5 lakh to ₹3 lakh, he added.
In view of the growing agrarian distress, the farmers are seeking the implementation of the recommendations of the Swaminathan Committee report on agriculture which stipulates fixation of crop procurement price at twice the input cost of cultivation.
The sugarcane cultivators’ association members and Consortium of Indian Farmers Association want the State and the Union governments to announce a rehabilitation package with interest-free loan for each farmers family based on the size of their family or landholding to held them tide over the present financial crisis and is our key demand, Mr. Shanthakumar said.
