TIRUVARUR
The Coordination Committee of All Farmers’ Associations in Tamil Nadu has made an appeal to the State government to ensure that all the committees having a direct or indirect link to the agriculture sector are apolitical.
In a memorandum submitted to Chief Minister M.K.Stalin in Tiruchi on Friday, the Coordination Committee president, P.R. Pandian pointed out that the State-level and district-level committees formed subsequent to the declaration of the Cauvery Delta region as a “Protected Agriculture Zone” by the previous AIADMK government have failed to serve the purpose since they have not been formed with public welfare as the objective but with political leanings.
Similarly, the election of administrators and formation of administrative committees of the agriculture cooperative societies were also being influenced by political leanings and hence these societies have soaked in corruption.
Regretting that the Centre was refusing to waive the loans taken in nationalised banks, he claimed that the farmers were unable to bear the pressure exerted on them to repay the loans. Since the farmers were aware of the fact that the Tamil Nadu government headed by Mr.Stalin was in the midst of economic crisis, the Committee president urged the Chief Minister to insist the Prime Minister waive the loans taken by the farming community.
He also urged the Chief Minister to initiate necessary steps for the revival of disbursement of crop loans through primary agriculture cooperative societies on submission of documents issued by the village administrative officers which had been prevented by the Central government from last year.
Procurement of paddy at a rate of ₹ 2,500 per quintal from the current `kuruvai’ season, construction of a dam across the Cauvery river at Rasimanal and other demands were also stressed in the memorandum.
