TIRUCHY: The samba season has just started in Tiruchy and those involved in samba crop cultivation are already faced with difficulties in availing loans from cooperative societies, farmers alleged. Lack of cooperation from the side of Village Administrative Officers (VAOs) has been hindering the cultivation process, they added. Koundampatty Subramaniam, a farmer leader, said,
"This is a pressing issue and it needs to be addressed immediately. It would be impossible for the farmers who are yet to recover from previous year's losses to take up cultivation without loans." According to Koundampatty, the VAOs have asked the farmers to raise nurseries first. "Only then will they approve the loan requests. But raising nurseries itself would cost us a lot," he said.
Ayilai Sivasuriyan, another farmer leader, said, "The VAOs want the seeds (Naatrangal) to be sowed first. This itself, however, would cost us at least Rs 5,000 to Rs 8,000 per acre. Thereby, we request the authorities concerned to revise the norms." N Rajendran, a farmer leader from Tamil Manila Congress, said, "Lack of cooperation and coordination led to such an issue.
The delay in sanctioning loans is particularly due to prior incidents of farmers abandoning cultivation right after nurseries were raised. Corruption is another reason." Jeyaram T, the joint registrar for cooperative societies in Tiruchy, told TNIE, "Such an issue exists, it is true.
We had recently, under the district collector's directions, asked the VAOs to speed up the process by checking their land pattas alone." An official from the district revenue department said, "We have instructed the respective VAOs to solve the issue related to loans soon. The farmers who face issues can submit their grievances with us."