Cauvery Delta Farmers Decry Tamil Nadu's Interim Agriculture Budget as Mere 'Rehash'
Farmers' associations across the fertile Cauvery delta region of Tamil Nadu have voiced profound disappointment and frustration following the presentation of the state's interim Agriculture Budget on Tuesday. They have collectively labeled the budget as a simple rehash of existing schemes, offering no new relief measures to address their pressing concerns.
Key Demands Ignored: Loan Waivers and Price Revisions
The farming communities specifically highlighted the glaring absence of critical announcements they had been anticipating. These include a comprehensive waiver of crop loans, increased crop incentives, and crucial revisions to procurement prices for key agricultural produce.
'Swamimalai' Vimalanathan, the secretary of the Tamil Nadu Cauvery Farmers Welfare Association based in Thanjavur, was particularly critical. He pointed out the budget's failure to announce any waiver for crop loans or an increase in milk procurement prices.
"We were expecting the paddy procurement price to be fixed at Rs 3,100 per quintal, bringing it on par with several other states. However, there was no such announcement, which is a major letdown," Vimalanathan stated.
Unfulfilled Promises and Infrastructure Gaps
Farmers also raised the issue of unfulfilled promises from election manifestos, notably the assurance of Rs 4,000 per tonne for sugarcane, which remains unaddressed. They flagged significant infrastructure deficiencies, including:
- The absence of measures to install additional paddy drying machines at procurement centers.
- No provision for new agricultural power connections for farmers who have been waiting for years.
The associations presented a list of urgent demands to the government, which includes:
- Special insurance coverage tailored for farmers.
- Infrastructure projects to store excess rainwater effectively.
- Higher financial allocations for constructing check dams and desilting canals, channels, and reservoirs.
- Substantial improvements in paddy procurement and storage infrastructure.
Budget Criticized as a 'Repetition' of Old Schemes
P R Pandian, the convenor of the Tamil Nadu All Farmers' Associations Coordination Committee, offered a scathing assessment. He described the interim budget as merely a repetition of schemes that have been implemented over the past five years, now packaged under a new interim plan.
Pandian further criticized the government for not announcing waivers for cooperative and education loans. He emphasized that the absence of any decisive action on crop loan waivers has left the farming community deeply disappointed and anxious about their financial future.
Limited Welcome and Further Demands
Amid the criticism, farmers did acknowledge one positive allocation. They welcomed the budget's provision of Rs 3,002 crore towards interest subvention for loans taken from cooperative societies.
However, 'Cauvery' V. Dhanabalan, leader of the Tamil Nadu Cauvery Farmers Protection Association in Nagapattinam, argued that this benefit should be extended to loans from nationalized banks as well. This expansion, he noted, would cover a much larger section of the farming community and provide more substantial relief.
The associations also put forward a specific demand regarding dairy farming. They called for the allocation for the Mini Dairy Scheme—which provides interest subvention to members of milk producers' cooperative societies—to be doubled from Rs 150 crore to Rs 300 crore. They stressed that higher funding is essential to boost milk production, improve farmer incomes, and effectively curb the menace of milk adulteration in the state.
