A section of farmers representatives of Tiruchi district have appealed to the district administration to direct cooperative societies to advance liberal credit for digging wells and purchase of cattle in view of the drought like situation prevailing in the district.
Raising the issue at the Farmers Grievance Day meeting here on Friday, P .Ayyakannu, State general secretary, Bharathiya Kisan Sangh, said that the scorching summer and the absence of summer showers coupled with the power crisis and unremunerative prices for their produce have pushed farmers into a corner. Cooperative societies should advance credit to farmers liberally for digging wells and purchase of cattle so as to help them to come out of the crisis. Many farmers were unable to get credit as cooperative societies maintain that they could get fresh loans only on repaying their existing dues.
He also urged the district administration to advise the cooperative banks against initiating distraint proceedings against farmers. A. Nagarajan of Puliyur said cattle population was dwindling in the villages and it was necessary that farmers were advanced credit to purchase milch animals to supplement their income. Farmers were not even able to get organic manure for the fields, he observed.
Claiming that farmers were facing severe labour shortage in Lalgudi, Musiri and Thottiyam areas, for harvesting blackgram and banana, he urged the Collector T. Soundiah, who was in the chair, to suspend the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme for a couple of months.
A. Karuppanan, district secretary of the farmers' wing of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, called upon the Agriculture Department to initiate immediate measures to control pest attack in tapioca crop in Manapparai and Vaiyampatti areas. He urged the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board to check voltage fluctuations in some parts of Manapparai region, which were damaging agricultural motors, causing heavy losses to farmers.R. Raja Chidambaram, State Secretary, Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Sangam, said crop insurance premium should not be collected from farmers unless compensation was guaranteed in case of crop insurance. Currently, compensation was granted only if crop damages were reported in an entire firka. At Mutharajapalayam village, banana crops were felled by a squall recently but farmers were unable to get any compensation despite having paid the premium. He also demanded that farmers be allowed take the ‘vandal' for agricultural purpose or own use from tanks/ponds as per a government order.
Earlier, N. Ponnusamy, Joint Director of Agriculture, informed the farmers that the Forest Department has, for the first time in the district, sanctioned compensation for a few farmers of Musiri region whose crops were damaged by peacocks some months back.
