COIMBATORE: Thondamuthoor farmers have demand waiving of agriculture loans given by the nationalised banks. The hike in price of seeds, fertilisers, labor, drought and even more over the damage done to crops by animals have put the farmers into trouble, they said.
A group of 50 farmers came to Coimbatore collectorate on Monday to give a petition to the district collector Archana Patnaik on their demand.
After meeting the collector, Thondamuthoor catchment area farmers' association president A.Ravi told Deccan Chronicle that, “No farmer will encourage his/ her son or daughter to look after agriculture. As the farmers are facing a life or death situation, we are unable to make income out of agriculture,” he rued.
Referring to the government having waived an amount of Rs 31,11,169 crore for the corporate sector in the last six years, he said, “Similarly we demand waiving the outstanding loan amounts which farmers owe to the banks.”
Stressing the crucial role farmers' play in food production, he drew attention to the fact that in the last few years, more than three lakh farmers committed suicide across the country.
An exclusive budget should be made for agriculture, the farmers demanded.
