Loan waiver promise brings little cheer to Tiruvarur farmers

Neither the DMK's promise of waiving agricultural loans nor the free rice offered by the ruling AIADMK may be enough for the farmers. Farmers of DMK president M Karunanidhi's Tiruvarur district, the rice bowl of the state, say the distress is too acute as farming has failed in successive years.
A political solution to the long-standing Cauvery water dispute is their main demand.Most farmers in the district are daily wage earners, who are unable to eke out a living from their own land holdings measuring an acre or two. But their debts range from a few thousand to a couple of lakh rupees.
“The promise to waive agricultural bank loans is welcome, but it will largely benefit the rich farmers who own large tracts of land and have debts running to the tune of several lakh rupees,“ said Govindaraj who owns two acres and owes `50,000 to a local bank. Some farmers alleged that in anticipation of DMK's loan waiver promise, some big landlords in the three delta districts -Thanjavur, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam -in connivance with bank officials, had taken hefty agri loans.
To improve the lot of farmers, what was needed was availability of water, said farmers. Successive governments in the state have failed to resolve the Cauvery dispute. They are not sure whether the next government can either. While agricultural operations keep them busy for three months, they work under the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) for another 100 days a year. Contractors take a cut even from MGNREGS wages, said farmers. “To cultivate both kuruvai and samba crops, we need double the quantity of water, compared to what is provided now,“ said Sithiravel, a farmer. Large tracts of agricultural land have been converted into residential layouts across delta dis tricts, he said. With the assembly election just 18 days away, one major farmers' association has pledged allegiance to the DMK while another has to the AIADMK.But the All Farmers' Organisation Committee, a confederation of many farmers' bodies, has decided not to support any front or party, said P R Pandian, its president. The committee has placed a long list of demands before political parties and the central government. Committee coordinator Siva Raajasekaran said, “The future of farming in the country depends on how fast our farmers shift to organic methods. First, the Centre should come out with an organic farming policy.“ Other demands include nominating farmers as Rajya Sabha and legislative council (as and when it is set up) members, declaring the delta region as agriculturally endangered, banning government land acquisition in the delta, and substantial reduction in the rate of interest for farm loans, he said.