Krishnagiri farmer forced to chop down over 100-year-old mango trees to repay loans

Krishnagiri: A farmer from Papanoor village near Pochampalli, has started cutting down 55 mango trees, each said to be more than 100 years old, to repay rising bank loans.The farmer identified as V Palanisamy, 62, said he was forced to take this drastic step due to repeated crop losses and insufficient government assistance. “I am clearing my two-acre mango orchard to use the money from the timber to clear my dues,” he lamented.He added that even though there were election assurances about waiving cooperative and agricultural loans, the government has not acted on them, leaving cultivators facing constant pressure from banks.Palanisamy is not alone. Mango farming, which is a key source of income in Krishnagiri, has suffered heavily in recent years due to climate change and pest infestations. The district’s area under mango cultivation has fallen from 41,000 hectares to 33,000 hectares. Its annual production of around 2,52,436 metric tonnes supports over one lakh farmers and labourers in the district. Farmers caution that if nearly 5% continue to leave mango cultivation every year, the crop may disappear from Krishnagiri within the next ten years.Meanwhile, K Sivaguru, a representative of the KRP dam irrigation farmers’ association has called on the Tamil Nadu government to step in at once, set up a separate commission for mango farmers, and deliver immediate relief.