Tamil Nadu agriculture budget comes as a mixed-bag for farmers
THANJAVUR: While farmers largely welcomed the announcements in the state agriculture budget, they expressed disappointment over no increase in the incentive for procurement for paddy. A section of them also felt the allocation for schemes like subsidy for propping up banana trees during bunching could have been more.
Sami Natarajan, the general secretary of Tamil Nadu farmers’ association, welcomed the increase in overall allocation for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department by about Rs 3,375 crore as compared to last year.
“Farmers are, however, disappointed as their long-pending demand for increasing the procurement price for paddy and sugarcane as promised in the DMK manifesto was not fulfilled even in the fourth agriculture budget,” he added.
Echoing him, P S Masilamani, the state general secretary of farmers association (AIKS), said, “The DMK promised a procurement price of Rs 2,500/quintal for paddy and Rs 4,000/tonne for sugarcane three years ago. The same is yet to be implemented. We hence demand to increase the same to Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,500 respectively,” he added. Masilamani also pointed out that the demand for the state to itself implement crop insurance was not met in its latest budget.
Meanwhile, Thanjavur district president of banana producers’ association M Mathiyazhagan welcomed the budget providing for extending subsidy for propping up banana trees with poles so as to ensure that the cultivation is not damaged by heavy wind. He also commended the provision for distributing banana bunch sleeves to protect crop from pest attack and ensure high quality harvest. “While this is a welcome step, the quantum is meagre,” Mathiyazhagan said, pointing out that banana cultivation is taken up over an average of 1.25 lakh hectares in the state.
S Vimalnathan, the secretary of Tamil Nadu Cauvery farmers’ protection association, expressed disappointment over the lack of announcement on distribution of coconut and groundnut oils through PDS. The scheme would have fetched decent price for coconuts, which are being sold by farmers at distress prices now, the secretary added.