CHENNAI: Amid discontentment over the absence of an announcement on full crop loan waiver in the Agriculture Budget tabled in the Assembly on Thursday, senior ministers held talks with farmer union representatives over the matter on Friday.
Minister for Agriculture R Vinoth, Minister for Public Works Aadhav Arjuna, Minister for Water Resources N Anand and Minister for Law C T R Nirmal Kumar were among those who took part.
Addressing media persons after the meeting, Coordination Committee of All Farmers Associations of Tamil Nadu president P R Pandian said, “We have proposed full waiver of crop loans, to fix paddy procurement price at `3,500 a quintal and that of sugarcane at `4,500 a tonne. The ministers assured to take our demands to the chief minister and announce a good decision in the Assembly.”
On the Mekedatu dam dispute, Pandian said that Karnataka’s all-party meeting had “ended in failure”. Farmers expect the CM to convene a similar meeting in Tamil Nadu, he added.
Desiya Thenindhiya Nathigal Inaippu Vivasayigal Sangam president P Ayyakannu said the Agriculture Budget had “brought a lot that favours farmers,” but that unions wanted remunerative prices and full loan waivers.
Earlier in the day, a group of farmers staged a road roko in front of the secretariat demanding full loan waiver. They were detained and later released.