Chennai, Sept 30 (BPNS)
The Samba farmers of Tiruchi and Nagapattinam districts are worried after the cooperative societies are not providing loans to the farmers even after nurseries were developed by the farmers. Most of the farmers whom BPNS approached said that the lack of support from Village Administrative Officers(VAOs) has been a major hindrance to the lack of sanctioning of loans from cooperative societies.
Swaminathan Raman, a Samba paddy farmer while speaking to BPNS said, “ Even after we have spent an amount of around Rs 7500 for sowing the seeds per acre of paddy field, and this is due to the VAO insisting us to do so. While we did sow the seeds, we are yet to get loans for further taking forward the farming.”
However, Joint Registrar of cooperative societies, Jeyaram T while speaking to BPNS said, “ The earlier incidents of farmers not repaying the loan is the major reason behind the farmers not being sanctioned loans. Another factor is abandoning the farming even after nurseries were raised.”
He also admitted that loans were rejected to farmers due to the repayment factor and lack of farmers not proceeding with cultivation even after receiving loans.
The district collectors of Tiruchi and Nagapattinam have intervened in the matter and have directed the Village Administrative Officers (VAO) to speed up the sanctioning of the loans.
Farmer leaders insisted that loans cannot be repaid until and unless this season crop also commences and Kuvai farmers earn properly.
