Farmers from Oddanchathiram belt in Dindigul district complained about non-availability of fertilizers at the online grievance day meet on Wednesday.
Collector M Vijayalakshmi presided over the meeting. Farmers from the respective blocks were provided online facility at the nearest agriculture or Block Development Office.Farmers from Thamaraipadi and Sanarpatti blocks also raised the issue of fertilizer shortage. The Collector directed the officials to check and ensure that there were sufficient stocks of fertilizers.
Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam president Perumal said many farmers were yet to get compensation for their crop loss of 2016. “Though we paid the premiums, the insurance company has not given the compensation to many of us,” he said. A horticulture official said compensation was credited to the accounts of farmers who had agreed to the quantum.
When the farmers complained that ₹6,000 as assistance was not yet credited to their bank accounts under the PM-KISAN scheme, the Collector said that since irregularities were found in many districts, the government had ordered a probe by the CB-CID. As the investigation was in progress, the farmers must wait for some more time to get the assistance. However, the farmers claimed that some of the banks had frozen the accounts of even genuine farmers and demanded that they be allowed to operate them.
Seeking better price for milk, some of the farmers said that when drinking water was sold at ₹20 per litre, the government procured milk at ₹18 due to which farmers could not even break even. The procurement price must be raised at least by 30%, they said.
Sanarpatti farmers said that though north-east monsoon was near, many tanks have not been desilted. The Collector directed the PWD and other allied departments to desilt the tanks so as to improve the storage. The farmers also sought permission to lift the alluvial soil from the tanks.
A section of farmers from Nilakottai said that there was a shortage of farm labourers. Hence, MGNREGA workers should be allowed to work in agriculture fields of individuals for the time being, they said.
Another section of farmers said that instead of diverting water from Kudaganaru to Siddayankottai, which benefited 3,000 acres, it should be allowed to flow on its own course so that it would benefit 13,000 acres. Moreover, around 2 lakh acres in the region would also benefit by way of recharge of groundwater. It would also help in better drinking water supply, they said.