TIRUCHY: Though farmers have welcomed the budget announcement that one crore farmers will be initiated into natural farming in the next two years, they however, have expressed their dissatisfaction as there is no announcement on loan waiver or guaranteed minimum support price for their produce. The farmers said that the finance minister should have at least announced interest-free crop loans.
“When corporates are getting waivers of crores of rupees, farmers are not given even assurance to get a reasonable price for their produce, commensurate with production costs. The BJP government reduced the allocation of funds to the MGNREGS,” PS Masilamani, general secretary of Tamil Nadu Farmers Association, affiliated to CPI, said.
Meanwhile, N Veerasekaran, state spokesperson of Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, hailed the announcements on natural farming.
Swamimalai S Vimalnathan, secretary of the Tamil Nadu Cauvery Farmers Protection Association said the farmers had expected PM Kisan’s cash assistance to be doubled or increased, but there was no announcement regarding this.
GS Dhanapathi, state general secretary, Farmers Association of India said while the importance given to natural farming is welcome, grants and subsidies being given to farmers who use chemical fertilisers should also be given to those who adopt natural farming.
MSK Bakkianathan, state president of Tamil Nadu Vaigai Farmers Association, said, “We farmers hail the union government for concentrating much on the agriculture sector in the 2024 union budget. Promotion of organic cultivation with certification, introducing 109 varieties of seed for 32 crops, 10,000 need-based bio-input resource centres and other announcements in the sector will play a major role in aiding the farmers.”