Farmers let down, says Vaiko

Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary Vaiko said the budget has not accommodated the interests of farmers though there were some welcome announcements like food subsidy and health insurance for Sri Lankan Tamil refugees.

In a statement, he said the budget had not taken into account the demands of farmers for a compensation of Rs. 25,000 per acre of land where crop had failed due to drought and Rs. 15,000 per acre to those who could not take up cultivation due to scarcity of water. The demand for enhancing the procurement price of sugar to Rs. 3,500 per tonne and paddy to Rs. 1,500 per quintal was also not considered.