Stalin calls BJP govt an anti-farmer govt

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday called the Union BJP government an anti-farmer government and said that the Union government brought three farm laws against the farmers and made them to fight in the capital for months in the scorching heat and shivering cold and this is the anti-farmer government but the DMK government will always be the friend of the farmers.

Pointing out the various farmer welfare schemes introduced by late chief minister and DMK supremo M Karunanidhi, Stalin said that it was M Karunanidhi who waived off the Rs 7,000 crore agricultural loans of Tamil farmers.

"Uzhavar Santhai were set up by M Karunanidhi when he was the chief minister of the state with the noble intention that farmers should not remain only producers all the time and become sellers themselves. From this, the farmers benefited by selling agricultural produce without middlemen. After that we revived the Uzhavar Santhais and construction of ten new Uzhavar Santhais are in progress. And now my government has created a historic record by providing more than one and a half million free electricity connections to the farmers, " he added.

Further Stalin said that Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) have been formed and such organisations have been given capital assistance and credit guarantee.

"Rs 12. 45 crore financial assistance has been given by the government to 140 FPOs. Arrangements have been made to sell their products in the corporation stores. We are planning to increase agricultural exports and for that purpose, the digitalisation is also going on which will improve the life of the farmers. Quality agricultural products should be available at reasonable prices to the people and exports should increase. Modern techniques should be introduced in agriculture. Good rains have been pouring for two years. Water is not a problem and agricultural workers are available. Farmers should make good use of all these. Our agricultural efforts must adapt to both climate change and increased food demand. Adopting precision farming methods, monitoring crop irrigation using smart phones and using drones are all now in use, " Stalin said.