CHENNAI: Several farmer associations across the state thanked Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami here on Saturday for waiving harvest loans to the tune of Rs 12,110 crore. The farmers’ representatives met the Chief Minister in Kalaivanar Arangam, where the Assembly session was held, and thanked him.
Speaking to reporters, S Ranganathan, secretary of the Cauvery Delta Farmers Association, said that in the past, harvest loans had been canceled thanks to compensation received from insurance companies, but this was the first time that the principal amount of the loan was canceled. “We are grateful to the Chief Minister and we will not forget him.”
He added that the association had explained to the chief minister the problems faced by farmers and urged him to take the necessary measures to facilitate compensation for insurance companies. Expressing similar views, PR Pandian, president of the Federation of All Farmers’ Association of Tamil Nadu, said that despite the financial crisis, the state government announced the waiver of agricultural loans. Thanking the government, he said, “At a time when nature supports the second crop, state government support is a huge relief to farmers from the financial burden.
V Sathyanarayana, secretary of state of the Federation of Indian Farmers’ Associations, said the Center announced compensation for harvest loans for Hurricanes Gaja and Okhi, and a group of officials also visited the field. recently. “At a time when the Center limited crop damage to two hectares per farmer, the state government increased the cap to five hectares. Since farmers in Tamil Nadu are already not legally allowed to own more than 15 hectares of land, restricting the Center’s compensation to just two hectares is unnecessary. The waiver of Rs 12,110 crore is certainly a huge compensation.
He added that such a huge volume of crop loans had never been cleared in the past. “In 2008, crop loans were only canceled for small farmers. Now the farmers’ loans of 16.43 lakh have been written off. Farmers who were no longer eligible for bank loans until a few days ago are no longer in debt. Hence, they can start a new life through the following bank loans. It is a great decision, and the whole brotherhood of farmers is indebted to the government. “
P Vinayagamurthy, president of the Kollidam Lower Anicut Farmer’s Association, said: “Five years ago Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa renounced crop loans of Rs 5,000 crore, and four years later the government led by EPS has given up over Rs 12,000 crore. “We express our sincere thanks to the government. The government has also made efforts to build dams to prevent rainwater from being wasted in the sea. â€G Sethuraman, president, Tamizhaga Vivasayigal Nalasangam, Tiruvarur, and NH Raja Maiden, district secretary, Cauvery Delta Farmers Association, also thanked the state government. They said the move enabled farmers to obtain loans from agricultural cooperative banks.
