Agri budget feedback session an eyewash: Ryots

RANIPET: The feedback session to include suggestions from farmer organisations in the State agriculture budget has turned out to be an eyewash, said sources on Saturday.

The meeting through video conferencing was attended by farmers from Chengalpattu Kancheepuram Tiruvallur, Vellore, Ranipet, Tirupattur, and Tiruvannamalai, besides officials from the agriculture and horticulture departments.

“As expected, officials ensured that serious issues affecting farmers like the price of paddy and cane were not spoken of at length,” said a participant, who did not want to be named. “A person. who supported the government in the proposed Cheyyar SIPCOT issue in Tiruvannamalai district, was allowed to speak for a long time indicating the officials’ intention to make the conference a smooth and positive affair for the government,” the same participant added.

Issues raised included fixing the price of cane and paddy at Rs 4,000 per tonne and Rs 2,500 per quintal respectively, which were already promised by the ruling dispensation in its poll manifesto.

Other issues like changing crop insurance scheme to benefit even those not insured, fixing the price of agri products based on the report of MS Swaminathan committee, permanent buildings for DPCs in Ranipet district on a par with those planned in the Delta districts, using 100-day scheme workers for agriculture, linking the Palar and the Then Pennai, building check dams every 5 kilometres, a permanent resolution to the man-animal conflicts and hike in compensation for farmers’ deaths in such cases to Rs 10 lakh and provision of agriculture implements at 75 per cent subsidy due to shortage of manpower.

What galled those present was a top horticulture official intervening with a speaker saying that the topic had already been covered. He also called on those present not to talk as if they were participating in the monthly agricultural grievance meetings in the districts.