A group of independent farmer organisations in the district are planning an indefinite agitation, raising demands such as waiver of farm loans, including non-agricultural loans of farmers.
M. Surendran, president, Haritha Sena, said here on Wednesday that the moratorium on recovery of farmers’ loans till December 31 was only a gimmick, as it would not make any positive change in the lives of impoverished farmers.
“If farmers repay their debt on time in nationalised banks, they have to pay only 4% interest. But if they repay after the moratorium period they will have to pay more than 14% of interest including penal interests,” Mr. Surendran said. Hence the government should either write off their loans, including non-agricultural loans, or waive the interest for five years. Only that would help farmers tide over the crisis caused by declining crop prices and the crop loss in the recent floods, he said.
Only 30% will benefit
Though the Cabinet raised the ceiling limit of the amount to be waived under the Kerala State Farmers’ Debt Relief Commission Act from ₹1 lakh to ₹2 lakh, it would only benefit 30% of the farmers in the State as the commission constituted under the Act had jurisdiction only over cooperative banks, P.N. Sudhakara Swamy, convener of the organisation said. But 70% of the farmers had availed themselves of loans from other financial institutions, including nationalised banks, and the commission had no jurisdiction over it, he said.
To take out march
The All India Kisan Sabha, a feeder organisation of the Communist party of India (Marxist), has been organising agitations in various States demanding waiver of farmers’ loans but it is yet to launch an agitation in Kerala. Five debt-ridden farmers committed suicide in the district this year, he said.
The organisation would take out a march on March 18 to the lead bank office here as part of the agitation.