Farmers’ organisations have largely welcomed the provisions of the Agriculture Budget but expressed disappointment over its failure to ensure remunerative prices for farm produce, especially paddy and sugarcane.
The government’s failure to fulfill its election promise of hiking the procurement price of sugarcane to ₹4,000 a tonne and that of paddy to ₹2,500 a quintal came in for widespread disapproval.
“The Budget is growth-oriented but does not favour farmers. Farmers were expecting the government to fix the procurement price for farm produce as per its election promise. The meagre incentive announced for sugarcane goes against the election promise of the DMK,” said Mahadhanapuram V. Rajaram, president, Cauvery Irrigation Farmers Welfare Association. Initiatives such as the creation of special millet zones would not directly benefit farmers but only help middlemen, he added.
The announcements on extending financial support to youth for starting agro-based industries, value addition and subsidies for mechanisation were welcome measures. However, unless the government fixed the procurement price for all farm produce and procured them or sanctioned direct financial grant for farming, farmers would not be able to emerge out of debts, Mr. Rajaram said.
Echoing his views, G.S. Dhanapathy, state general secretary, Farmers Forum of India, said the Agriculture Budget’s objective of increasing productivity and encouraging organic farming were all welcome, but it should ensure remunerative prices for farmers as well.
“Farmers cannot stay afloat without good returns; youth hesitate to take to farming as it is not profitable, and the government must take note of this,” he added. He expressed disappointment over the lack of financial allotment for the Cauvery-Vaigai-Gundar River Interlinking Project.
“The Minister seems to have walked a tightrope and covered various aspects of farming. While the initiatives are welcome, the major disappointment has been the failure to hike the procurement price of sugarcane and paddy as promised. The overall financial allocation for the sector and the various proposals in the Budget are inadequate and needs to be substantially increased,” said Cauvery Dhanapalan, president, Tamil Nadu Vivasaya Sangankalin Kootiyakkam.
While welcoming the government’s decision to desilt canals, Mr. Dhanapalan, however, felt more funds should be allotted for desilting the huge network of irrigation canals in the delta region. Agro-based industrial estates should be established in each district so as to generate employment for students passing out of agricultural colleges every year.
P.R. Pandian, president, Coordination Committee of All Farmers Associations of Tamil Nadu, N.V. Kannan, district secretary, Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam, affiliated to CPI (M), and Sundara Vimalanathan, secretary, Thanjavur District Cauvery Farmers Protection Association, all expressed disappointment over the absence of any announcement on the hike of procurement price of paddy and sugarcane.
Mr. Pandian, however, termed the Budget as multi-faceted and welcomed the emphasis on organic farming, increasing production and strengthening infrastructure.
