Farmers’ organisations in the district are preparing to relaunch a series of agitations in protest against the alleged anti-farmer stance of the State government and the revenue recovery measures started by financial institutions in the district after an interval of two years.
The farming community is in a financial crisis owing to the sharp fall in price of the agricultural producers such as rubber, tea, coffee and ginger in the market this year as well as huge crop loss owing to climate vagaries.
But the financial institutions, including national banks, started revenue recovery measures on farmer loans, T.B. Suresh, president, Kerala Karshaka Sanghom, said.
Revenue notices
The Revenue Department issued nearly 3,000 revenue recovery notices to the farmers in Padichira village alone after a moratorium announced by the State government on farmer loans had ended on December 31.
The nationalised banks also issued thousands of lawyer notices to farmers in this regard, he added.
Moratorium
When the State government had announced the moratorium in 2013 and 2014, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the interest on farmer loans during the moratorium period would be borne by the State government. But it was yet to pay the amount, and the farmers were forced to pay a huge amount as penal interest on the loan amount, he said.
The State government had announced interest-free agriculture loans to farming community in 2013-14 Budget and it had disbursed Rs.135 crore as interest-free loan to farmers in 13 districts of the State. But it was yet to disburse a single rupee for farmers in the district, V.T. Pradeep, State chairman, Haritasena, a farmers’ movement, said.
“We have decided to prevent all revenue recovery measures of the financial institutions,” Mr. Suresh said.
The Haritasena also decided to launch a series of agitations in this regard, Advocate Pradeep said.
