TN delta farmers to agitate against inadequate compensation

Chennai, Feb 7 The farmers of the delta districts in Tamil Nadu are planning a spree of agitation charging that the state government compensation of Rs 20,000 per hectare for crop losses due to unseasonal rains was totally inadequate.

Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin had on Monday announced that Rs 20,000 would be provided for the Paddy farmers who lost the about-to-be-harvested crop during unseasonal rain that lashed the Delta districts recently.

R. Palanivel, a Samba farmer from Thanjavur, who is also associated with a major farmer movement of Delta district, while speaking to said, "The untimely rain have led to the losses of ready to harvest Samba, and thalady crops were lost in the untimely rain that lashed the districts. The assessment conducted by the agriculture officers was not proper and we demand a compensation of Rs 40,000 per acre of Paddy and Rs 30,000 per acre for other crops destroyed in the rains."

He added, "When M.K. Stalin was the opposition leader, he had demanded Rs 30,000 per hectare as compensation for losses to crop damage during the previous AIADMK regime when that government had announced a compensation of Rs 20,000 per hectare. We are shocked at such duplicity by the Chief Minister."

The farmers had earlier alleged that the assessment team from the state agriculture office had not done a proper assessment of the affected areas. The farmers had even blocked the Pudukkottai- Gandarvakottai main road demanding higher compensation for the losses in crops due to damage.

The farmers' association leaders are planning a series of agitations demanding a hike in compensation.

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