Vellore farmers urge cooperative banks to stop pressuring them to repay crop loans

VELLORE: Reiterating their demand for a full crop loan waiver, the farmers in Vellore have pressed cooperative banks to stop pressuring farmers to repay crop loans.

Key points

• Further, farmers pressed the administration to promote sugarcane farming, pointing out that they were suffering due to the closure of the Ambur sugar mill.
• At the session, farmers additionally raised problems related to wildlife attacks, inadequate compensation, and pending electricity connections under the Tatkal scheme, despite having paid the one-time fees.
• Mango farmers shared that some of them were cutting their trees down since procurement and costs had hit a low in the latest season.
• Jayasamy, a farmer from Sholavaram, came shirtless to protest the district administration's inaction on his previous petitions seeking to stop a quarry from mining in the area.

Sharing their reservations at the monthly grievance redressal gathering at the Vellore collectorate on Friday, the farmers sought assurance from the district administration that cooperative banks would stop sending loan overdue notices until the administration makes a clear decision on the crop loan waiver.

According to While the government's latest announcement, crop loans up to Rs 75, 000 taken from cooperative banks will be waived, the farmers insisted on their earlier demand for a complete loan waiver.

S Udhayakumar, state secretary of Tamil Nadu Farmers Association, observed that farmers continue to receive notices from cooperative banks and called on collector PS Leela Alex to direct the banks to wait until the state administration conveys a clear decision on the waiver.

Mango farmers shared that some of them were cutting their trees down since procurement and costs had hit a low in the latest season. They sought the agriculture department authorities to consider a proposal for setting up a dry mango powder manufacturing facility in the district to produce best employ of the yield.

Meanwhile, Jayasamy, a farmer from Sholavaram, came shirtless to protest the district administration's inaction on his previous petitions seeking to stop a quarry from mining in the area. Collector Leela assured that the revenue divisional officer would inspect the area shortly.

Taken together, the developments around vellore farmers urge cooperative banks to stop pressuring them to repay crop point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.