Thanjavur: Tension prevailed for a while at Madigai village when a group of farmers staged a road blockade on the busy Thanjavur-Pattukottai Highway near here today protesting the non-extension of interest-free crop loans by the Primary Agricultural Cooperative Credit Society (PACCS) located at Thuraiyur village.

Earlier, the irate farmers besieged the PACCS office at Thuraiyur village pressing their demands.

At least 1,500 farmers are members in the PACCS located at Thuraiyur village. The farmers function as separate agriculture groups. As per the government order, the PACCS would extend a sum of Rs 25,000 per acre as interest-free crop loan to each group. The credit was extended up to five acres as maximum. But, the interest-free crop loan was not extended for the year 2015-16.

The aggrieved farmers presented petitions to all officials of the cooperative department and the District Collector but to no avail.

As no steps were taken by the officials to extend interest-free crop loans despite repeated pleas, the farmers besieged the PACCS office at Thuraiyur village and then they squatted on the road and resorted to road blockade near Madigai village. As vehicular traffic on the busy Thanjavur-Pattukottai Highway was disrupted for about an hour, revenue and police officials rushed there, held negotiations with the agitators and persuaded them to call off their stir.