Under the scheme, marginal farmers with cooperative bank crop loans up to Rs 50,000 would receive a complete waiver, while larger farmers will get Rs 5,000 as financial assistance towards repayment, benefitting over 14 lakh farmers, an official press release on Friday said.
Chennai: Unveiling an agricultural relief package to the tune of Rs 134.83 crore to help farmers in the delta and other districts in the kuruvai, kar and swarnavalli seasons, Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay said that it would ease the financial burden on farmers across the state and increase paddy production and urged farmers to avail the benefits of the comprehensive scheme.
Under the scheme, marginal farmers with cooperative bank crop loans up to Rs 50,000 would receive a complete waiver, while larger farmers will get Rs 5,000 as financial assistance towards repayment, benefitting over 14 lakh farmers, an official press release on Friday said.
Seen as the first major welfare-focused decision of the Vijay-led government aimed at reinforcing a pro-farmer image, the move, apart from offering immediate relief to the vulnerable farming communities, would also enhance the TVK’s rural support base. However, opposition parties alleged that the government was diluting its original poll promises.
Paddy is cultivated on an average of 52.7 lakh acre as the prime crop in all parts of the Cauvery delta districts of Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Mayiladuthurai and in some parts of Cuddalore, Trichy and Ariyalur districts, the official press release said, adding that in the delta districts it is undertaken in 20.64 acres annually with a coverage of 5.14 lakh acres in the kurvai season alone.
Outside the Cauvery delta region, paddy is cultivated in 32.07 lakh acres and during the kar, kuruvai and swarnavalli season it is undertaken in 5.48 lakh acres.
Every year, water from the Cauvery is released on June 12 to enable the farmers to undertake paddy cultivation in the kuruvai season but this year water shortage expected due to El Nino effect and the delayed onset of the south west had led to the delay in the opening of the Mettur dam, where the water level stood at just 79.56 feet against the full level of 120 feet.
So while the paddy cultivation in the delta region was likely to come down drastically from the usual 5 lakh acres, it would be carried out in 3.55 lakh acres by supplying water through the filter points. Similarly, to encourage farmers outside the Cauvery delta region to go for cultivation in the kuruvai, kar and swarnawari seasons, the special package has been announced, the release said.
Of the Rs 134.83 crore allocated for the special relief package, Rs 77.55 crore would be utilized to help farmers in the Cauvery delta, who would be using the filter points for irrigation, and Rs 57.33 crore for improving the livelihood of farmers outside the delta.
