Ranipet ryots upset over delayed farm machinery allotment

RANIPET: Farmers in Ranipet district are upset that the government was not treating them on a par with their counterparts in the Delta region.

“The preferential treatment is visible in allotment of agriculture inputs and farm machinery, which are offered on subsidy by the government,” said Tamilaga Vivasayigal Sangam Ranipet district president CS Mani.

A case in point was the recent official meeting in Ranipet where farmers were asked to list their agricultural machinery needs. Moreover, agricultural labourers switching over to other jobs has also resulted in a dearth of labour besides forcing farmers to opt for machinery, sources said.

Hence, farmers have to rely on the state for machinery, which includes tractors, power tillers, power weeders, paddy harvesters, rice planters and drones to spray pesticides. “All the above-mentioned machinery are offered on subsidy, ranging from 40 per cent to 50 per cent, to farmers,” said the Sangam’s youth wing state president R Subash.

However, what galls them is that machinery allotment was never done as per requirement, as only 20 per cent of what is sought is allotted. Enquiries revealed that first allotment was done for those in Delta districts, while other districts, including Ranipet, get machinery in the second allotment that is during the period from February to March.

“When the cropping patterns and seasons for all farmers in the state is same, we do not understand the rationale behind other district farmers not being treated on a par with Delta ryots,” a farmer from Kalavai lamented.

“If the government allots machinery for all districts simultaneously, it will meet 90 per cent of farmers’ needs and it will also boost agriculture,” he added.