Tamil Nadu Farmers Association has condemned the union budget presented by finance minister Arun Jaitley saying that it was a big disappointment.

As against much anticipation of loan waiver, given the extreme distress the farm sector was in across the country in general and in Tamil Nadu in particular, the farmers were hoping for loan waiver. Said Kanakaraj, a senior office bearer of the association, the plight of the farmers is indicated by the growing number of suicides by farmers who were unable to repay loans taken from money lenders and even banks. For the last six years, TN has been facing drought like conditions.

The banks too were harsh on the farmers but were lenient on corporate sector, which has gotten away with huge debts without repaying them, said another farmers leader.

On the current budget, Kanakaraj said that it contained nothing for the farmers other than mere announcements that mean nothing at all. There was talk of doubling the farm incomes but it remains just that.

And this talk has once again been made by the finance minister in his budget. In his presentation he said, the government had always been keen to enhance their commitment to the welfare of farmers, and achieving the goal of doubling farmer income by the year 2022, by the 75th year of Indian Independence.

So now conveniently, the government has made a promise that it will come good on farm income doubling in four years’ time. Which the farmers associations said were not exciting.

The slew of new schemes announced by the finance minister will not help the farmers much who are already in debt and unable to repay as their incomes are depressed. The farmers’ association leader said that even in bumper production it was the farmer who was suffering.