NE NEWS SERVICE
MANNARGUDI (TN), FEB 1
The union budget for the year 2020-2021 presented by the Finance Minister in parliament is disappointing, as there is no announcement for small and marginal farmers. This budget is prepared for the corporate and not a common man, said the General Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Cauvery Farmers Association P.R. Pandian here on Saturday.
In a statement issued here, Pandian condemned the union government for its failure to waive crop loans to the farmers who were suffered due to drought between 2012 and 2019. During this period, farmers had faced undue pressure from banks to repay their loan dues, as they are unable to get a good yield from farming.
Budget announcement on doubling the income of the farmers without taking the proper initiative to fix remunerative prices for farmers’ produce and creating marketing facilities is only a farce, Pandian said.
When the production cost of agricultural produce has risen so many times, the export of products through the air will get only publicity, he adds.
Allocation of Rs. 16500-crore for improving groundwater schemes for 7 northern states will not in any way beneficial to Tamil Nadu he said.
The budget also disappointed, as there is no announcement on inter-linking of rivers and the announcement of Rs. 15 lakh crore crop loan targets will not benefit the farmers, Pandian added.
The second state conference of the Tami Nadu Cauvery Farmers’ Association will be held in Mannargudi on March 7 and 8, in which ministers and agricultural professionals would be participating, the statement said.
